Back ground            

Castor (Ricinus communis L.) belonging to family Euphorbiaceae is one of the ancient oilseed crops of the world. Castor oil is important industrial oil. India is the largest producer of castor in the world (7.7 lakh tones obtained from 7.86 lakh hectares, with 60 and 55 per cent share in the castor production and area respectively) and earning nearly Rs.3000 crores of foreign exchange annually through export. Castor productivity in India is more than the world average and it ranks first among the major producing countries such as China and Brazil.

Tamil Nadu is an important castor growing state in India, with an area of 13,900 hectare. Major castor producing districts are Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Dharmapuri and Perambalur.

Castor is mostly raised as rainfed crop or intercrop with groundnut in         Tamil Nadu and hence the maximum potential yield is not being harnessed. Castor as wider spaced crop is ideal for intercropping system. Initially the growth of castor is slower, that period can be effectively harnessed for growing short duration intercrops. Onion is an ideal intercrop for castor, it is short duration and less demanding interms of water and other inputs.

The normal sowing time of kharif castor is June - July. However, hybrid castor as pure crop planted during June – July, comes to peak flowering during North East monsoon period during October – November. The cloudy weather coupled with heavy spell of rain pre disposes the crop to the devastating disease botrytis grey rot and other pests like defoliators and capsule borer. This in turn drastically reduces the yield of castor hybrid planted during June - July. Botrytis grey rot affects the castor yield up to 80 per cent. It is very difficult to control the grey rot disease. In Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, botrytis grey mold is a recurring threat for Kharif castor and it severely affects the yield. The only way to escape the botrytis grey rot disease is to go for rabi castor cultivation. Due to the above reasons farmers of Andhra Pradesh are already shifting to rabi castor which comes to flowering during cool dry period after the North East monsoon and free from dreaded disease botrytis grey rot. Also cool dry season promotes femaleness in castor and finally higher yields.

It is note worthy to mention that the castor registered highest growth rate in terms of production and productivity during last two decades as compared to other agricultural crops. The spectacular progress in terms of area, production and productivity in castor is due to the development of hybrid castor. Due to good export potential, the market price of castor bean is in the upward trend.  From year 2004 to 2010 the price increase is almost 208 per cent (Rs.13 to 40).

The yield level in Tamil Nadu is low when compared to national average. The productivity is low mainly because the castor is cultivated as inter/ mixed crop in rainfed eco system. Availability of new productive hybrids such as YRCH 1 and DCH 519 offers great scope for increasing productivity. There is large gap between realizable potential yield and present productivity in castor. Through drip fertigation with rabi season cultivation the castor productivity can be increased to 3500 kg/ha which is well above the national average (1209 kg/ha). With this level of yield the net income realized by the farmers is Rs.1.00 lakh/ha. In Tamil Nadu castor is cultivated in chronically water starved districts of Salem, Namakkal, Perambalur, Dharmapuri and parts of Erode district. Hence drip irrigation system offers great scope to cultivate castor in these areas. In addition to drip fertigation, onion as intercrop in castor will give additional net income of Rs.40,000/ha. Hence,             castor- onion intercrop with drip fertigation in rabi season will give total net income of Rs.1.40 lakhs/ha. So, the present project is proposed to popularize rabi castor cultivation with onion intercrop in drip fertigation.

Project Rationale

Castor is drought tolerant crop. Water requirement is low (500 mm) when compared to other crops such as Maize (800 mm) and cotton (900 mm) which are the major contingent crops. It is suitable for both kharif and rabi season. Augurs well for all type of well drained soil and good contingent crop for weather aberrations such as delayed monsoon or monsoon failure. In the Salem, Namakkal and Erode districts of Tamil Nadu, where the project is proposed to be implemented, ground water is over exploited in majority of the blocks. In these three districts the small and marginal farmers constitute 89 per cent of total farmers. Castor is less demanding in terms of land, labour and other inputs, hence it is well suited for the resource poor, small and marginal farmers of these districts.

            In Tamil Nadu important castor growing districts are Salem, Namakkal and Erode. The productivity is low (400 kg/ha), when compared to national average of 1392 kg/ha. The castor productivity is low mainly because

• Low spread of hybrid castor as pure crop.
• Botrytis grey rot in kharif planted crop.
• Use of low productive traditional land races and local varieties by the farmers.
• Cultivation as mixed and border crop.
• Cultivation under rainfed ecosystem in marginal and low fertile soils.
• Not selecting ideal season (rabi) for cultivation.
• Lack of awareness on agronomic practices fertilizer application, irrigation etc.,

            Castor crop is mainly raised as a rainfed crop or as intercrop between groundnut, red gram, or as border crop. Out of the total cropped area of castor in Tamil Nadu around 20 per cent area alone is under irrigated condition. In recent years, precision farming / drip fertigation is being followed for all the crops. But in castor, the farmers are reluctant to adopt drip fertigation. Research result evidence indicate that the castor yield is around 3500 kg/ha by adopting drip fertigation system. Farmers are not aware of the techniques of castor cultivation by utilizing the drip fertigation system. Fertilizer application at frequent intervals in split doses by using drip fertigation system is providing healthy growth of the crop and maximizes the yield.

In the above context, It is proposed to popularize rabi season castor cultivation with drip fertigation.

            The farmers having the drip fertigation system in their fields will be familiarized to raise hybrid castor with onion inter crop during rabi season, there by the productivity and profitability of castor + onion inter crop system could be demonstrated effectively.

Project Strategy

Methodology

a) Selection of farmers
            Progressive, interested farmers having drip system will be selected for raising castor with onion intercrop through drip fertigation system during rabi season in consultation with Assistant Director of Agriculture / Assistant Director of Horticulture in the respective blocks.

b) Training
            Training will be conducted at village level. Technology of castor + onion intercropping with drip fertigation in rabi season, will be covered in each of the trainings. Totally twenty trainings will be conducted during the crop period at two trainings per block.

c) Crop demonstration

For castor drip fertigation, a total of ten demonstrations per block will be carried out by selecting the farmers who is already having the drip fertigation system in their fields. The selection of beneficiary farmers will be done in consultation with Assistant Director of Agriculture / Assistant Director of Horticulture in the respective blocks.
d) Field days
Field days will be conducted in the farmers holdings to disseminate the technology of raising castor + onion intercrop under drip fertigation. Totally ten field days are proposed to be conducted at the rate of one field day per block.

Project Goals/ Objectives

• To popularize castor cultivation through drip fertigation.
• To create awareness and demonstrate hybrid castor intercropped with onion through drip fertigation.

Project components

i. Target Area
The project is proposed to be implemented in ten blocks spread in Salem, Namakkal and Erode districts, since these districts are traditional castor growing area with limited irrigation sources. The proposed blocks are Omalur, Mecheri, Sankagiri, Edappadi and valapadi of salem district, Namagiripettai, Rasipuram, Elachipalayam, Pudhuchathiram and Tiruchengode of Namakkal district. All the proposed blocks are traditional castor growing area with limited irrigation sources.

ii. Technical programme

• Awareness campaign will be conducted at village level about the productivity and profitability of castor + onion intercropping system with drip fertigation in rabi season.

• Progressive and interested farmers having drip system will be selected for raising castor + onion intercrop through drip fertigation system during rabi season.

• Towards the partial support for cultivation of castor + onion intercrop system input viz., seed, water soluble fertilizers worth of Rs.10,000/ha will be supplied.
• For castor drip fertigation, a total of fifty demonstrations at the rate of five per block will be carried out by selecting the farmers who is already having the drip fertigation system in their fields.

• Field days will be conducted to popularize the rabi castor with drip fertigation. Totally ten field days are proposed to be conducted at the rate of one field day per block.

iii. Beneficiaries

While selecting beneficiaries preference will be given for small, marginal and women farmers of the two proposed districts. These populations will be directly involved in training and demonstration. The demonstration plots will be raised in the field of target population (as far as possible small, marginal and women farmers in all blocks of the two proposed districts). Selection of beneficiary farmers will be done in consultation with Assistant Director of Agriculture / Assistant Director of Horticulture in the respective blocks.

Deliverables

Rabi season cultivation with Drip fertigation:

• At the end of the project hybrid castor cultivation under drip fertigation in rabi season will be popularized.
• The productivity of hybrid castor will be increased substantially.

Measurable outcome

• Through implementation of this project awareness will be created among the farmers about the productivity and profitability of castor+onion intercropping system with drip fertigation in rabi season.
• Castor-onion intercrop with drip fertigation in rabi season will give total net income of Rs.1.40 lakhs/ha.

Contact:

Tapioca and Castor Research Station
Yethapur, P.G.Palayam (Po) – 636 119
Salem District
Phone: 04282-293526
E-mail: arsyethapur@tnau.ac.in