ANANTAPUR: The All India Coordinated Research Project on Dryland Agriculture (AICRPDA) at Rekulakunta in Anantapur district has received the national award for the best research project in the country. AICRPDA scientists received the award for proving the seed variety of small groundnut pods gives more yield, compared to the one with big pods. The research team had also proved that cultivation of millets is more profitable than groundnut in Anantapur.
AICRPDA Anantapur is among the 31 agriculture research stations in the country. It was started at Rekulakunta on March 31, 1964. It has been engaged in research on soil fertility, soil testing, environmental sample collection, farm mechanisation, improvement of irrigated dry crops like groundnut, red gram, castor and millets.
AICRPDA head Sahadev Reddy received the award in Hyderabad on June 4. Sharing his thoughts with TNIE, he said it was a proud moment for them to have emerged top among the 31 research stations in the country and the award has put more responsibility on them.He attributed the success to the collective effort of his 12-member team. “Our team is striving to increase the crop yield with an objective to improve the lot of small farmers,” he asserted.
Sahadev Reddy said the crop yield will be good if millets like Sajja (pearl millet), sorghum (jowar), cowpea beans (alasandalu) during the first rains of Kharif. Pulses are a good choice for intercropping with groundnut as they regulate the flow of water and help in retaining moisture content in the soil.“We have proved the same through our research, which is one of the reasons for our research station getting considered for the national award,” he said.
Cultivation of groundnut in one hectare of dryland and raising 10 sheep with groundnut forage will yield good income to farmers. “We have developed a seed drill for groundnut, which can sow seeds in an acre in one hour. ABV 04 variety of pearl millet is a high yielding variety seed developed by AICRPDA,” he highlighted.AICRPDA has laid emphasis on serving farmers by educating them on modern methods of cultivation to reap a good crop yield.