Traditional Knowledge for Sustainable Management of Soils - Principles of Sustainable Soil Management in Agroecosystems - page 329

TABLE 13.12
Soil Texture-Based Cropping Pattern Followed by Farmers in
Madhya Pradesh (Central India)

Fertility
Index Local Name Characteristics Crops

Kali 8.5 Heavy, deep black flat

lands

Rice, maize, wheat,
gram, pigeon pea,
sesame, vegetables

Bohra 7.0 Heavy, moderately deep

black flat lands

Rice, wheat, peas,
vegetables

Bharra 6.5 Light, medium red,

undulating

Maize, minor
millets, pulses, niger

Mooth Bharra 7.0 Loamy, medium red,

undulating

Early rice, minor
millets, pulses, niger

Karkariya Bharra 4.5 Light, moderately

sloppy, shallow, red

Minor millets,
pulses, niger

Kachal 5.0 Flat, black, deep Rice, peas,

vegetables

Sehra 8.0 Yellow to medium

black, medium to deep

Rice, minor millets
pulses, sesame, peas

Source: Singh, R.K., and A.K. Sureja, Indian J. Tradit. Knowl. , 7. 642-654, 2008.

during kharif, followed by wheat crop during rabi, while in medium- and light-
textured soils, they grow only a single rabi crop of short duration.
Likewise, in the tribal region of Madhya Pradesh, farmers adopt a clear soil
texture-based cropping pattern where the soils are given different names in the local
language, which is matched with a fertility index, and its characters are described
based on the scientific study of soils (Singh and Sureja 2008). All farmers in the
region religiously follow the same cropping pattern, which generally does not result
in failure of the crop even in years with subnormal rainfall (Table 13.12).

13.6.3 p hySioGraphy and C rop M anaGeMent
In the eastern Indian states of Orissa, Chattisgarh, and Jharkhand, the familiar
catenae of rice-growing fields have uplands, medium lands, and lowlands. The
soils are lateritic with soil acidity common in most regions. The difference in the
physiographic locations is texture, being light in uplands and heavier in lowlands.
The moisture regime improves from uplands to lowlands. Rice is the main crop in
the region. The average yield levels are 6, 9, and 17 q/ha, respectively, in uplands,
medium lands, and lowlands. There is a clear distinction in crop management and
input use depending on the physiographic location (Venkateswarlu and Vittal 1999).
Even the sowing method differs ( Table 13.13 ).