Revolutionizing Rice Farming: ICAR-NRRI’s Innovative Training Program for Sustainable Soil Management
In a significant move towards sustainable agriculture, the ICAR-National Rice Research Institute (NRRI) successfully conducted a training and workshop at Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Cuttack, aimed at empowering farmers with advanced techniques in acid soil management. The program, held on November 23, 2023, focused on the use of basic slag and fly ash for managing soil acidity and boosting rice yields.
The event, titled “Acid Soil Management Using Basic Slag and Fly Ash for Conditioning Soil Health and Enhancing Crop Yield,” was part of the SAFAR project, funded by State Govt. of Odisha which emphasized the economically and environment friendly utilization of basic slag and fly ash as soil amendments. Dr. P Bhattacharyya, Principal Scientist and Head of Crop Production Division, ICAR-NRRI Cuttack along with Dr. P K Jena, Senior Scientist ICAR-NRRI, Dr. R Mohanta, Sr. Scientist & Head, KVK, Cuttack and the SMS of KVK, Cuttack, Dr. D.R. Sarangi, Dr. T.R. Sahoo, and Dr. S. Sethi, spearheaded the program, drawing over 80 farmers including two FPOs from various areas of Cuttack and Angul districts.
The training programme focused on the challenges of acid soil, cost-effective methods to manage acid soil by fly ash and basic slag with compost, demonstrations on soil sample collection.