Department of Plant Sciences

In Asia rice farming is confined to small farmers who are compelled to obtain higher productivity for their livelihood. In general there is an increase in area and production of rice in India. In the humid tropical region of Kerala State the area has been drastically reduced inspite of the efforts of the local Government. Crop diversification is a practical means to enhance the crop output. In conventional rice farming the usage of plant protection chemicals is very high and can cause an irreversible change in the wetland ecosystem. Diversified cropping of rice in rainy season and two subsequent vegetable crops viz cucumber and okra in the post rainy and summer seasons under organic farming practices was tested at the Cropping Systems Research Centre of Kerala Agricultural University for a consecutive period of five years from 2003-04. The experiment comprise of seven treatments in which five organic farming practices were compared with integrated nutrient management and full chemical nutrient practices. The study revealed that from the third year onwards organic farming and integrated nutrient management practice gave comparable yield as that of full nutrient as chemical inputs. The N and P content in the soil was enhanced while the K content was slightly reduced during the end of experimentation. There was an appreciable improvement in organic carbon in all the treatments through crop residue management.