Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Green Manure
Mains level: Soil Health Management
The Punjab agriculture department is promoting the cultivation of green manure these days.
What is the news?
- Punjab Agro is providing subsidy on the seed at the rate of Rs 2,000 per quintal, which costs Rs 6,300 per quintal without subsidy
- The farmers can avail its seed from the block level offices of the agriculture department as limited stock is available.
What is Green Manure?
- Green manures are crops grown specifically for maintaining soil fertility and structure.
- It is done by leaving uprooted or sown crops parts, allowing them to wither onto the field and serve as mulch and soil fertilizers.
- They are normally incorporated back into the soil, either directly, or after removal and composting.
- There are three main varieties of green manure, including
- Dhaincha
- Cowpea
- Sunhemp
- Also some crops such as summer moong, mash pulses and guar act as green manure.
- They can be sown after wheat cultivation
Characteristics of green manure
- Green manure must be leguminous in nature
- They must bear maximum nodules on its roots to fix large amount of atmospheric nitrogen in the soil.
Various policy initiatives
- Under Sub- Mission on Seed and Planting Material (SMSP), the govt. provides 50% cost assistance for the distribution of green manure required for a one-acre area per farmer.
- The Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) promotes cluster-based organic farming with PGS (Participatory Guarantee System) certification.
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