This document discusses introducing pulses in rice fallows in India. It outlines the characteristics of different rice fallow regions, constraints to production, research and development efforts, opportunities, and an action plan. The major rice fallow regions are the eastern, northeast, central, and coastal regions. Constraints include biophysical factors like rainfall variability and socioeconomic factors like lack of inputs and credit. Research has developed improved varieties, crop management practices, and mechanization technologies. Opportunities exist to scale these technologies and address policy issues like rural credit and marketing infrastructure. The action plan calls for mapping fallows, consolidating R&D, pilot projects, and developing short duration, stress-tolerant varieties to sustainably increase pulse production in

1. Introducing pulses in rice fallows
of India
- constraints, opportunities and
action plan
Masood Ali
Former Director
ICAR-Indian Institute of Pulses Research
Kanpur

2. • Introduction
• Characteristics of rice fallows
• Bio-physical , production and socio-economic
constraints
• Research & developmental efforts
• Opportunities
• Action plan
Outline

3. • Low-land, mono-
cropped rice under
rainfed eco-system
• Remain fallow during
winter due to
inadequate moisture
/excessive moisture
in surface soil at
planting time of
winter crops

4. Assam
Jharkhand
Rice fallows in India
(11.65 million ha)
Eastern Region : 4.27 m ha
Eastern U.P., Bihar, Jharkhand
and West Bengal
North-east Hill Region: 0.54 m ha
Assam
Central Region : 5.01 m ha
Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
Maharashtra
Coastal region: 1.52 m ha
Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil
Nadu

5. Characteristics of Rice fallows
1. Eastern region
(Eastern U.P., Bihar, Jharkhand and W.B.)
 Hot dry, sub-humid, 1200-1700 mm rainfall
 Excessive moisture, poor drainage, cool winter
 Deep alluvial , loamy to silt clay, neutral to
slightly acidic
 Deficient in O.C., P and Zn
 Blue bull/Stray cattle
(Chickpea, Lentil, Lathyrus)

6. Stray animals and un-controlled grazing-a
social problem
Blue Bull
menace

7. Bihar & Jharkhand
(37%)
Districts covering major area under rice fallow :Kisangang,
Sahibganj, Gaya, Aurangabad, Katihar, Dumka, Dhanbaad, Ranchi,
Purba Singbhum, Paschim Singhbhum, Hazaribagh, Bokaro, Gumla

8. Uttar Pradesh
(6%)

9. West Bengal
(37%)
Districts covering major area under rice fallow :Purulia, Bankura,
Birbhum, Bardhaman, Medinipur, Murshidabad, South 24-Parganas,

10.  Humid tropical, 2000-2250 mm rainfall
 Excessive moisture, water stagnation
 Mild Winter
 Clay rich, neutral to acidic soils
 Soils deficient in O.C., P and micronutrients
(Urdbean , lentil, peas)
2. North-east region : Assam

11. District having large area under rice fallows
ASSAM
(24%)
Districts covering major area under rice fallow : Lakhimpur, Jorhat,
Sibsagar, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong, Nagaon, Maringnon

12. 3. Central region
(M.P, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra)
 Hot/moist dry sub-humid, rainfall 1200-1400
mm
 Early withdrawal of monssonal rains, lack of
soil moisture at planting time of rabi crops
 Vertisols-montmorillonitic clay : mixed red and
black soils,, pH neutral to alkaline soils develop
cracks,
 Winter mild to severe
 Stray cattle

13. Districts covering major area under rice fallow : Surguja, Jashpur,
Raigarh, Raipur, Durg: Jabalpur, Seoni, Bolaghat,Damoh, Rania, Rewa,
MP & Chhattisgarh
(78%)

14. 4. Coastal Peninsula
(A.P., T.N,. Karnataka and Odisha)
 Sub-humid tropical, mild winter
 Adequate moisture
 DeepVertisols, rich in clay, mod.
alkaline (A.P.) to slightly acidic (Odisha)
 Bimodal rains, 1000-1200 mm
 Soils deficient in O.C., P and
micronutrients
(Urdbean and mungbean)

15. Districts covering major area under rice fallow : Krishna, East
Godavari, West Godavari, Guntur
Andhra Pradesh
Rice Fallows

16. Odisha
(31%)
Districts covering major area under rice fallow :Koraput, Kalabhandi,
Sambalpur, Sundergarh, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Cuttock, Puri,
Dkenkanal, Kendrapada

17. Constraints in Rice fallows
A. Bio-physical
•Rainfed ecology
•High run-off and low moisture storage
•Water stagnation/excessive moisture in coastal
region and low residual moisture in central region
•Poor physical condition of top soil layer due to
puddling of rice field, develops deep cracks
•Low SOC content and poor microbial activity

18. B. Production constraints
•Narrow window for planting
•Lack of short duration and high yielding varieties
•Poor plant stand (poor soil-seed contact in relay sowing)
•No use of fertilizers/chemicals
•Severe weed infestation including parasitic weeds
•High incidence of diseases: PM & MYMV- urdbean and
mungbean, rust- lentil, wilt complex - chickpea
•Moisture stress and terminal drought

19. C. Socio-economic constraints
•Resource-poor farmers
•Lack of credit and market infrastructure
•Non-availability of critical inputs
•Scarcity of human labours after rice harvest
(migration to urban areas)
•Lack of mechanization/ draft power
•Stray cattle

20. • All India Coordinated Pulse Improvement Project, 1967
• AICRP on Mungbean, Urdbean, Lentil, Lathyrus, Rajmash
(French bean) and Peas, 1995
• Mitigating abiotic stresses and enhancing resource-use
efficiency in pulses in rice fallows , 2010
• National Food Security Mission, 2007
• Brainstorming meeting on rice fallows, 2013
NAAS- Policy Paper 64
Research & Developmental
Efforts

21. NFSM funded projects-CG institutes
>ICRISAT: Enhancing chickpea production in rainfed rice
fallow land of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, 2008
• ICARDA: Expanding lentil production in Eastern and North-
eastern states under rice based production system in
India, 2010
• ICARDA: Enhancing grasspea production in Eastern and
North-eastern states under rice based production system

22. Technologies in shelf
• Choice of crops/varieties
• Crop management practices
• Soil and water management practices
• Farm mechanization

23. Improved Varieties
Lentil:
HUL 57, moitree, NDL 1,
Pant L 8, Pant L 6, IPL 81,
KLS 218
Urdbean:
LBG 17, LBG 402, LBG
623, LBG 752, KU 301,
TU 94-2
Chickpea:
BG 372, PG 186, JG 315,
JG 16, JG 14
Mungbean:
LGG 460, Pusa 9072,
Pairymung, TM 96-2.
TARM 1
Grasspea:
Ratan, Prateek,
Mahateora

24. Desirable traits in pulse varieties
•Early seedling vigor
•Short duration
•Small seed size
•Resistant/tolerant to key diseases
•Drought and heat tolerance
•Amenable to mechanical harvesting

25. Soaking seeds in water for 6-8 hrs and
sowing of primed seed at 8-10 days before harvest of rice
Improves germination, growth,
plant stand and yield
Seed Priming- a simple and effective practice in
relay cropping
Further refinement
•Soaking seeds in
KH2PO4 solution
•Sowing methods for primed
seed under minimum tillage
•Optimum seed rate

26. Further refinement
• Formulation with
micronutrients, growth
hormones and PGPR
•Seed pellets with nutrients
Foliar Nutrition- a low cost effective intervention
Effective in both under relay
cropping or zero tillage system
• Spray of 2% urea/ DAP @ pre-flowering stage

27. Quizalofop @ 100g/ha for rice stubble management
Use of herbicides- an important intervention
Imazethapyr @ 50g/ha at 2-4 leaf stage for seasonal weeds

28. Mulching

29. Significant yield gain due to life saving irrigation
with minimal amount of water (2.0 cm) under
severe moisture stress in rice fallow pulses
Water harvesting and life saving irrigation
Life saving irrigation through sprinkler system

30. Mechanization
(A)Opening furrow, placing fertilizer, seeds and covering of seeds
(B) Manual furrow opener (C) Manually operated IIPR No- Till Drill
(D) Tractor Operated Happy Seeder

31. Action Plan
• Disaggregated mapping of rice fallows
• Consolidation of R & D activities
• Pilot projects
• System approach
• Development of short duration, high yielding and
disease resistant varieties having tolerance to
terminal drought and heat stress
• Scaling-up crop management practices
• Rural credit and market
I. R & D Issues

32.  Public awareness
 Creation of community water reservoirs
 Solar energy operated shallow tube wells
 Creation of seed hubs
 Mechanization of field operation
 Rural credit
 Road and marketing infrastructure
 Legislation for containing menace of blue bulls
II. Policy issues

33. BloomingRice fallows
- br ings prosperity

34. Drainage channel 30 x 30 cm around the field
Avoid water stagnation in Rice fallows ( provision
for Proper drainage)

35. BloomingRice fallowsbrings prosperity

36. Poor plant population in relay sowing

37. Assessing optimum soil moisture for relay
sowing

38. Potential pulse crops identified for rice-fallows
in different states of India
Pulse crops States
Lentil Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Madhya
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand
Grass pea Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, West
Bengal
Chickpea Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand
Mungbean Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil
Nadu
Urdbean Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha

39. Planting system in rice fallows
Relay After rice harvest

40. Contd….
 Spray post- emergence herbicides
 Seed coating with micronutrients
 Foliar spray of 2% urea/DAP
 Adoption of suitable IPM module
 Water harvesting (farm ponds, community
reservoirs) and recycling (sprinkler)

41. Pulses in Rice fallows…….
……..brings Prosperity &
Sustainability

42. 20 cm rice stubbleResidue removal Mulching
Planting lentil after harvest of rice crop
0-5 cm 5-10 cm 10-15 cm
Moisture extraction pattern under stubble
management in lentil

43. Rice-lentil
Rice-Grasspea
Rice-Urdbean/Mungbean
Rice-pulse relay cropping

44. Reasons for fallows
 Rainfed/ Lack of irrigation
 Highly variable and inadequate monsoonal rains; very
low probability of winter rains
 Low soil moisture in surface layer after harvest of rice
 Water stagnation/excessive moisture in
November/December

45. Spray Quizolofop- N- ethyl
(post-emergence) herbicide
Interventions to avoid regeneration
Low ratooning rice line
(IET 4786)

46.  Soil compaction and cracks in Vertisols
 Cultivation of long duration rice varieties
 Lack of appropriate varieties of winter
crops for late planting
 Lack of public awareness, R & D efforts
and policy support
 Stray cattle
Cont.….

47. Rice fallows in India
State Kharif-rice
area ('000 ha)
Rabi-fallow
('000 ha)
Rice-fallow area as
% of kharif rice area
% of total rabi-
fallow area
Andhra Pradesh 2657 305 11.5 2.6
Assam 2234 539 24.1 4.6
Bihar 5974 2196 36.8 18.9
Karnataka 984 182 18.5 1.6
Madhya Pradesh 5596 4382 78.3 37.6
Maharashtra 1762 629 35.7 5.4
Orissa 3879 1219 31.4 10.5
Uttar Pradesh 6255 353 5.6 3.0
West Bengal 4617 1719 37.2 14.8
Others 2378 128 5.4 0.4
Total 40,184 11,652 29.0 100.0

48. Selection of appropriate variety of rice
and pulses

49. Timely sowing under relay
cropping

50. Glimpses of capacity development
No. of capacity development Male Female Total
211 7105 1699 8804

51. Technologies in shelf
 Short duration and disease resistant varieties identified
 Green manuring and application of FYM in rice crop
 Zero-till drill
 Enhanced seed rate under relay cropping
 Seed priming
 Seed treatment with Rhizobium culture and fungicides
 Management of rice stubbles

52. CONVENER
Masood Ali
Co- CONVENERS
Sajeev Gupta
A Sarker

53. Rice ratoon extracts 20-25 % of soil moisture over non-ratoon
Ratoon rice

54. Yield advantage in lentil over farmers’ practice across project sites
(2013-14 and 2014-15)
1354
1032.5
1123
1161.6
996
1135.165
1109
678
706.5
746 753.3 729 713.5
769
60.86 47.39 52.13 54.05 35.37
59.96 44.2
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
Moitree KLS-218 IPL-406 HUL-57 PL-6 PL-8 PL-7
Demonstration yield (Kg/ha) Farmers’ practice (Kg/ha) % increase

55. Lentil grown in Rice-fallow
Kamrup Manipur

56. Improved v/s local varieties of grasspea across project
sites (2013-14 and 2014-15)
955.134
1356.25
1193.5
437.5
707.8
1033
835.5
201
44.61 32.85
92.5
118.25
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
Nirmal Ratan Prateek Mahateora
Demonstration yield (Kg/ha) Farmers’ practice (Kg/ha) % increase

57. BloomingRice fallows
- br ings prosperity

58. Selection of appropriate variety of rice
and pulses