Bathinda, August 21:
A five-day training course on paddy straw management, organized by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Bathinda, under the guidance of Dr. Gurdeep Singh Sidhu, Deputy Director (Training), Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, concluded successfully. During the programme, farmers from village Jai Singh Wala interacted directly with experts and received satisfactory solutions to their problems related to paddy straw management and wheat cultivation.
At the concluding session of the training programme, Dr. Gurmeet Singh Dhillon, Professor (Extension Education), provided farmers with detailed information about modern and scientific techniques for managing paddy straw in the field without burning it and subsequently sowing wheat directly. He satisfactorily answered farmers’ queries regarding the management of pink stem borer and rats in wheat crops sown under straw-management practices.
He informed the farmers that KVK Bathinda would make modern machinery such as Happy Seeder, Super Seeder, Smart Seeder, Super SMS, mulcher and reversible plough available to farmers in selected villages for paddy straw management. This would enable farmers to manage straw in the field itself and sow the next crop using these machines. He said that with the cooperation of farmers and by adopting PAU recommendations, paddy straw management could be carried out successfully.
During the training, Dr. Manpreet Singh Brar, Veterinary Officer, Department of Animal Husbandry, Bathinda, informed farmers about the nutrients present in paddy straw and its use as animal fodder. He encouraged farmers to adopt scientific methods for proper management of straw and its efficient utilization in animal husbandry.
On the occasion, Dr. Tejbir Singh Buttar, Assistant Professor (Soil Science), explained the benefits of retaining paddy straw in the field for soil health. He stated that incorporating straw into the soil increases organic carbon and improves the soil’s water-holding capacity. He urged farmers to use fertilizers in balanced and recommended quantities in fields where straw-management practices are followed and to adopt scientific farming techniques for wheat cultivation.
The experts told the farmers that burning paddy straw is not a solution to the problem; rather, it is harmful to both soil health and the environment. With the help of modern machinery, straw can be managed in the field itself and converted into a beneficial resource for the soil.