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Scheme on ‘Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-Situ Management of Crop Residue’

  • Posted By
    10Pointer
  • Categories
    Environment
  • Published
    9th Feb, 2021

The residue burning events has reduced substantially due to a special Scheme to support the efforts of the governments of Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and the NCT of Delhi

Context

The residue burning events has reduced substantially due to a special Scheme to support the efforts of the governments of Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and the NCT of Delhi.

About the Scheme

  • It is a Central Sector Scheme (100% funded by the Central Government).
  • It aims to address air pollution and to subsidize machinery required for in-situ management of crop residue.
  • The scheme was launched in 2018.

Objectives

  • protecting environment from air pollution
  • preventing loss of nutrients and soil micro-organisms caused by burning of crop residue
  • promoting in-situ management of crop residue by retention and incorporation into the soil
  • use of appropriate mechanization inputs
  • creating awareness among stakeholders through demonstration
  • capacity building activities and differentiated Information
  • Education and Communication strategies for effective utilization and management

Outcomes

  • The residue burning events in 2020 in Punjab, Haryana and UP together have reduced by -30% as compared to 2016.
  • In Punjab the reduction is -22.7%, Haryana - 63.8% and UP - 52.01%.

Impact of burning of crop residue

  • Crop residue burning directly contribute to environmental pollution, and are also responsible for the haze in Delhi and melting of Himalayan glaciers
  • The heat from burning paddy straw penetrates 1 centimetre into the soil, elevating the temperature to 33.8 to 42.2 degree Celsius. This kills the bacterial and fungal populations critical for a fertile soil.
  • Burning of crop residue causes damage to other micro-organisms present in the upper layer of the soil as well as its organic quality. 
    • One tonne stubble burning leads to a loss of 5.5 kilogram nitrogen, 2.3 kg phosphorus, 25 kg potassium and more than 1 kg of sulfur —  all soil nutrients, besides organic carbon.

Alternative methods to manage crop residues

  • Happy Seeder(used for sowing of crop in standing stubble)
  • Rotavator (used for land preparation and incorporation of crop stubble in the soil)
  • Zero till seed drill (used for land preparations directly sowing of seeds in the previous crop stubble)
  • Baler (used for collection of straw and making bales of the paddy stubble)
  • Paddy Straw Chopper (cutting of paddy stubble for easily mixing with the soil)
  • Reaper Binder (used for harvesting paddy stubble and making into bundles)

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