PAU pushes for muskmelon, groundnut in Kapurthala

Amidst the cycle of paddy/potato/spring maize water-guzzling crops contributing massively to water depletion in Kapurthala, the push by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), along with the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Kapurthala, to revive low-cost, less-water intensive crops in the district has rekindled hopes for agricultural water sustainability in the district.

The PAU and KVK recently held field workshops promoting the “Punjab Amrit" muskmelon and J-87 Spring groundnut variety at various villages in Kapurthala with the aim to pushing crop diversification and water sustainability. Experts said replacing maize with muskmelon/groundnut itself would go a long way in checking the depleting water-table in the area.

Cultivated across thousands of hectares in Kapurthala, the area under both crops is currently reduced to less than half of what it was before, with groundnut cultivation reduced almost to a naught. As per the PAU experts, the collective water consumption of a hectare of crop land under the paddy/potato/spring maize cycle is 26,000 to 27,000 cubic metres per year. This can be drastically reduced by the replacement of spring maize with muskmelon or groundnut, which consume half the water which spring maize does.

Paddy is cultivated across about 1 lakh 15,000 heactares in Kapurthala, while maize across 14.5 to 15.5 thousand hectares.

At its peak in 2014-15, muskmelon was cultivated across 2,500 hectares (6,000 acres) in Kapurthala, while presently it is cultivated in a mere 900 hectares (2,500 acres). Meanwhile, the peak era of groundnut cultivation in Kapurthala in 1980s spanned across over 12,000 hectares, today it is left on a mere 1-2 acres. Other vegetable crops grown around Kapurthala also cover a miniscule area. They include onion, garlic, tomato, capsicum, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, okra, chillies, peas, vine and root crops.

Dr Harinder Singh, Associate Director (Training), KVK Kapurthala, said, “The dominance of water-intensive crops like paddy, potato and spring maize, with cropping intensity exceeding 300 per cent, has led to alarming groundwater depletion. Two years ago, we first experimented with the groundnut cultivation at our own farms, also to determine how conducive the crop is, given the current soil and climatic conditions in the region and we were successful. From this year, repeat field visits and programmes are being held to encourage farmers take to the crops."

Dr Singh added, “The newer varieties are cost effective and could go a long way to protect the various zones of the district which witness exceeding water depletion. There have been precedents of growing groundnut and muskmelon together in the region, which could be revived."

Dr Ajmer Singh Brar, Principal Scientist, Centre for Water Technology and Management, PAU said, “Collectively, the paddy/potato/spring maize cycle consumes 26,000 to 27,000 cubic metres (CM), per hectare, per year – of which 12.5 thousand CM per hectare is consumed by paddy, 3,000 to 4,000 CM per hectare by potato and 10.5 thousand to 11.5 thousand CM per hectare by spring maize. This is just the water for irrigation sourced primarily from groundwater in areas like Doaba (Kapurthala) and doesn’t include rainwater, which the crops also need. Seasonally, replacing maize crop with muskmelon or groundnut will save half the water consumption of the maize season."

“Groundnut consumes 5,000 to 6,000 CM water per hectare per year, while muskmelon consumes about 4,000 CM water per hectare per year. This simple step will dramatically reduce water consumption," he added.

Punjab