Imphal, February 10 2009: After successfully demonstrated enhancing the productivity in some main rabi and kharif crops like rice, pea, potato etc., experts team of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) now wanted to experiment the same method of farming in pre-kharif crop (first paddy crop) too.

According to deputy director, Ph Rajendro, even though, the IPM has been applied in the rice in main crop and it was indeed a successful one since the very beginning of the application two year back.

But it has never been applied to the early rice crop.

As a part of experiment, the IPM team comprising of the experts of the Agriculture Office (Chemistry) and agriculture scientists of the Central Agricultural University (CAU) has decided to apply the method to the model village at Maklang taken up by the Agriculture Department in association with the Nongchup Imphal Loumi-Sinmi Choukhat Thourang Lup (NILSCTL) .

To apply IPM in the first rice crop taking up will be the first of its kind in the entire country as none of the states have taken up it before, the deputy director as well as the assistant senior professor, Entomology department, Khumukcham Ibohal of CAU said.

The state Agriculture Department had earlier announced that IPM team will develop a model village of pre-kharif paddy at Maklang village in Imphal west recently.

The team had already conducted soil treatment campaign in the village for cultivating pre-kharif paddy to an area of 30 acres.

According to the leaders of the NILSCTL, they wanted to apply expand the area upto 50 acres available in Maklang field but due to the shortage of the rice seed (RCM-7) it was restricted only to 30 acres.

Even though other variety of rice seed is available, farmers do not want to grow it these varieties commonly grow are not taste in consumption and not like by the people.

RCM-7 is a kind of rice variety which can grow in the early as well as in the main seasons, the deputy director said.

The fields at Maklang village have natural irrigation system from the stream at Thabi Lok which can supply water in plenty even during the dry season too from an earth dam constructed by the villagers at the Thabi Lok hill.

This makes a favourable area.

The IPM team considers it as one of the best place for the triple cropping.

The fields there are currently growing mustard oil seeds as rabi crop and if counted the pre-kharif crop, the field will also be the first area where triple cropping practice, a moral boost to hear by the farmers of the state who even could not successfully practice double cropping due to non-availability of irrigation system.

According to the deputy director (Soil Chemist) Ph Rajendro, not only at the Maklang village, the department will start soil treatment campaign for pre-kharif crops in other valley areas of the state where there is irrigation facilities.

The team will start inspection to other places.

In the model village to be developed at Maklang, the deputy director said, RCM-7 variety of rice will be cultivated in the new model village.

On the account of the rice variety, seed technologist, exerts said the rice can be harvested within 115 to 120 days counting from the day of sowing the seed and very much suited for using as pre-kharif paddy in the state.

Today, the experts team demonstrated the farmers on the seed treatment before sowing as they have started preparing nursery plant for transplantation.

The IPM team under the supervision of the deputy director and staffs of the experts of the AO (Chemistry) and assistant senior prof Kh Ibohal took part in seed treatment demonstration.

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