Presentation on Organic Buckwheat cultivation Bsc Ag 4th year Agricultural Science Student Experential Learning

1. INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF AGRONOMY
COURSE- AGR-421 (ORGANIC FARMING)
ORGANIC BUCKWHEAT CULTIVATION
PRESENTERS-
Prakash kumar (ID-19212AGC101)
Shradha Prajapati (ID-19212AGC134)
Rashmi Ranjan (ID-18212AGC117)
UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF
Prof. Chandra Bhushan
B.sc(Hons) Ag, IV th Year

2. INTRODUCTION
 Today We the Human Being best creature of this planet are emerging with best
technologies mankind ever have and India being the top producer of many crop
still facing a issue in it population i.e. Hidden Hunger.
 To solve this issue we have come with the solution Buckwheat a Nutri-cereals
(One cup of cooked groats contains about 155 calories, with 6 grams of protein, 1
gram of fat, 33 grams of carbohydrate, and 5 grams of fiber. These groats are
packed with manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, niacin, zinc, folate, and
vitamin B6).
 Fagopyrum esculentum (Buckwheat) is a native of Central Asia and cultivated in
China and other Eastern countries as a bread-corn. Generally it is a plant of hilly
temperate regions and cultivated on marginal land under rain-fed conditions
where very limited crops grow.
 Buckwheat belongs to the family Polygonaceae which are distinct from the
monocot cereals and belong to the category of dicot pseudo-cereal.
 Buckwheat is a short-seasoned crop that need 10-12 week to mature and mainly
cultivated as grainy seed and cover crop to reduce weed and improve the soil
fertility.
 Buckwheat is also called a phosphorus pump because it takes up soil phosphorus
and then return the planet in eco-friendly way.

3. MAJOR PRODUCER STATES IN INDIA
Jammu & Kashmir
Uttar Pradesh
Ladakh
Himachal Pradesh
Chhattisgarh
Uttarakhand
Source- The European Journal of Plant
Science & Biotechnology

4. What is Pseudocereal
A pseudocereal or pseudograin is one of any non-grasses that are used in
much the same way as cereals (true cereals are grasses).
Two Major type of pseudocereals grown in organic farming-
Why Pseudocereals in Organic
Farming-
 Wider adaptability.
 Higher nutritional value .
 Medicinal value Resilient in nature .
 Tolerant to biotic and abiotic stresses.
 Economic benefits to the farmer.
 Low requirement of nutrients for growth
 Low input cost.

5. Why Amaranthus Amaranthus cruentus (Ramdana)–
 Excellent source of iron and β-carotene. Rich in folic acid and thus increases
blood hemoglobin. Lysine in seed proteins as much as in milk (5%), higher
than cereals. Amaranth oil containing squalene, a cosmetic ingredient and
skin penetrant is also used as lubricant for computer discs
 Disease treatment – measles, snake bite, FMD of animal, kidney stone,
chest congestion, piles
 AMA-1 gene has been isolated and introduced in rice and potato due to
high quality protein
Source- slideshare.com
Major Varieties-Six varieties for hills (Annapurna, Durga, VL Chua 44, PRA-1,
PRA-2, PRA-3) and six varieties for plains (GA-1, Suvarna, GA-2, BGA-2, GA-3,
RMA-4)

6. Organic Cultivation of Buckwheat
Season-
 Buckwheat seeds should be sown in the
months of October and November.
 It can also be grown from February to
October in controlled conditions.
Climate-
 Buckwheat is mostly grown in areas with a
cool and moist climate.
 It can be grown up north at high altitudes
because its growing period is rather short
and the heat requirement for growth is low
as well.
 However, the crop is highly sensitive to
extreme weather and dies pretty easily in
unfavorable conditions like freezing
temperatures during fall and spring.
 Even high temperatures and dry weather at
the blooming time can prevent seed
formation. So, the ideal temperature for
buckwheat crops to grow healthily is 21
degrees Celsius.

7. Site Selection-
 Site should be free from any of the contamination
(especially chemical contamination).
 Before selecting a site for organic farming we
should check that atleast 2 yr gap should be there
in inorganic/chemical farming and organic farming.
 Site should receive atleast 6 Hrs of sunlight per day
and having a good aeration.
Soil Requirements
 Buckwheat grows easily on moderately fertile soil.
 It can tolerate soil pH levels as low as 4.8, however, it
cannot tolerate stressful conditions and poorly
prepared soil.
 Its thin roots can penetrate the soil easily but will die
during flooding or drought.
 Buckwheat is known for growing on a wide range of
soil types and fertility rates.
 It produces a much better crop on infertile and poorly drained soils if the climate is moist
than other grains-producing crops.
 However, buckwheat performs poorly on fertile soil.
 The buckwheat crop also tolerates high soil acidity better than the other grain crops.
 The best-suited soil for buckwheat to grow is light to medium textured and drained soil like
sandy loams, silt loams, and loams.

8. Land Preparation
 It is important to prepare a good seedbed before planting buckwheat as it has very fine
roots. Prepare the land a few weeks in advance when the soil is easier to work with and
moisture is available for crop growth.
 While preparing the land, create drainage around the seed because the seed will rot if water
collects around it.
 Buckwheat seeds are small in size and have a shallow root system which means it needs a
firm seedbed for good buckwheat production.
 A firm seedbed should allow easy absorption of nutrients for fast growth and to reduce loss
from drought.
 If the seedbed is already plowed, just disking or harrowing the plot is required for
preparation.
Seed Rate and Seed Time
The seed rate of 20kg/hectare is advised as a sufficient amount for a productive grain yield.
Applying 20kg of N, 10kg of P and K per hectare through organic source one day before sowing
the seeds gives the best yield.
To avoid the first frost in September and the heat of July month, it’s important to sow the
buckwheat early.
Spacing- 30-45 cm row to row & 10-15 cm plant to plant.
Recommended Varieties in Organic Farming- Local cultivars (Like-Mithey, Tithey, PRB-I, VL-Vgal
and Sangla B1.

9. ORGANIC NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT-
 Farmers of the state generally grow buckwheat on residual fertility without adding
other nutrient input. However, it removes 47 kg nitrogen, 22 kg phosphorus and 40
kg potassium from the soil for each hectare planted and gives a yield of 1600 kg/ha.
 Buckwheat does not well respond to the nitrogen fertilization hence, nitrogen
should be applied on soil test value.
 High application of nitrogen can create weed pressure, encourages excessive
vegetative growth, causes lodging, and decreases grain yield.
 ICAR-NOFRI (earlier ICAR Sikkim Centre) recommends application of Azophos seed
treatment + mixed compost @ 5 t/ha+ neem cake @ 0.5 t/ha for obtaining good
crop yield.
 Azospirillum spp. and Azotobacter spp. thrives well in acidic soils of Sikkim and
their combined application resulted in better buckwheat productivity and positively
influenced the soil biological properties.

10. Chart showing Comparison of NPK requirement in different conditions-:
Source- Article Augustina Saha, Shirshendu Samanta, Prithwiraj Dey, Rahul Halder & Ashim Chandra Sinha (2023): Choice of varieties and organic
inorganic nutrient integrations in rainfed buckwheat

11. Weed management-
 Although buckwheat plants are very good competitor for weeds and generally
fast growing capacity makes them a smother crop.
 Under such conditions, one weeding and hoeing at 20-25 DAS is helpful for
raising a good crop.
 Firstly, the crop should be seeded into a fine, firm and weed-free seedbed.
 Secondly, the seed should be placed into moist soil to ensure quick germination
and emergence.
 These practices help the crop compete with any emerging weeds. ICAR-NOFRI
(earlier ICAR Sikkim Centre) standardized the use of mulches in buckwheat
crop.
 Maize stover + weed biomass mulch not only reduces the weed population but
also enhances the water use efficiency in buckwheat.
Harvesting and Yieid
a) The optimum time to harvest buckwheat is when the grains are mature but the
plant is still green.
b) When the seeds turn a dark brown, it means it’s ripe and ready to be harvested.
This happens 8-10 weeks after the seeding.
c) Commercial farmers use swathing or winding methods to remove the seeds but
for a small crop, you can use threshing to remove the seeds.
d) Average yield of buckwheat- 8-15 q/ha

12. Pests & Diseases of Buckwheat-
Powdery Mildew- Erysiphe polygoni Downy Mildew- Pernospora ducumeti
Insect Pest- Braggia eriogoni (Reticulated buckwheat aphid)

13. Future Prospects-
Constraint- Very few constraint like some of the disease and pest.
Management- Apply neem oil/ neem cake act as repellent.
 Use of anti-feeders
 Use of Pheromone traps.
 Use of light traps.
Pseudocereals is highly nutritive crops help in preventing many types of disease (especially
Cardiovascular disease).
This is having high potential which is still untrap especially economic benefits.
Farmer Wheat Gram Buckwheat Amaranth
1 1.87 1.83 2.63 2.35
2 1.80 1.77 1.99 1.97
3 1.73 1.37 2.15 2.17
4 1.81 1.73 2.51 2.49
Benefit-cost(B:C) ratio of cultivating wheat, gram, buckwheat, amaranth organically
Source- Economic
benefit of amaranth and
buckwheat organic
production Article
published on research
gate

14. NEED OF THE HOUR-
• Awareness programs to convince the nutritional benefits of Pseudo
cereals.
• Extension activities to popularize the growing and use of the
growing pseudo cereals
• Explore the Market Potential for Value added products of organic
pseudo cereals
• Make the crop more profitable comparing to other existing crops.
Global Status-