Ranchi, Dec. 26: A noble project aimed at minimising water requirements to grow vegetables without compromising on the yield in the fields of Jharkhand is on the anvil.

Horticulture and Agro-forestry Research Programme (HARP), the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) research station in eastern region located at Plandu, Namkum, has recently joined hands with National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (Nabard) for the project.

Field experiments on the project will start soon.

“We are actually in search of a technological solution to minimise use of water in production of vegetables. In this joint project with Nabard, we aim to introduce drip irrigation technique and try to optimise requirements of water and nutrients,” HARP chief scientist Shivendra Kumar told The Telegraph.

The irrigation model will utilise various sources to draw water through pumps. Pipelines of appropriate diameters will be used for drip irrigation. An uphill water source can also be utilised for drip irrigation, given its natural flow.

The Rs 20 lakh-project, to be jointly sponsored by Nabard and ICAR, will be tested for two to three years in the fields of Plandu before the technique is transferred to the farmers for effective use.

The project, christened “Optimisation of nutrient and water in vegetable crop”, is also being carried out in consultation with the state government. It is aimed at saving water in a way overall production is not affected.

Normally, in micro-irrigation technique, farmers use water and nutrients in the fields every day. However, under the new scheme, HARP scientists will work out ways for farmers to minimise water usage in horticulture.

The project is expected to have a wide impact in Jharkhand, which has been witnessing erratic monsoon for several years. This year, the entire state was declared drought-hit, while scarcity of water even in winter is sending bleak signals to farmers.

Check dams and wells are being looked upon as dependable sources of drip-irrigation.

through the drip technique, and thereby help minimise water requirements for vegetable cultivation. Such structures could be well utilised as pressurised (through pumps) or gravity source of water for every kind of fields in its vicinity.