Sustainable Agricultural Practices for the Improvement of Growth and Yield of some Important Crops popular in Walwa-tehsil, district Sangli (Maharashtra) - A Review

By : R. R. Lohar , C. P. Hase

Page No: 133-143

Abstract
Soil desertification and its sickness are the significant causes for reduction in growth and yield of crops. The unjudicious application of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, monoculture and excess irrigation have adversely affected the soil fertility. In addition to this, various types of soil pollution, alternation in physicochemical properties of soil and climate change (GHG’s, increasing temperature) have aggravated the problem and hence there is plateauing of yield in almost all the crops in Sangli district in general and in Walwa tehsil in particular. As a result of this the farmers are frustrated and going away from agriculture. Due to this deteriorated agro-ecosystem more than 25% farmers are shifting to nearby urban areas like Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur, Pune and even Mumbai in search of jobs to earn their daily bread and butter. The overall effect is collapsing of the sustainable agricultural practices and disturbances in village ecosystem.
To get more and more yield from the deteriorated soil farmers are giving heavy doses of chemical fertilizers. Considering this situation, a review has been undertaken in this paper for giving a solution through sustainable agricultural practices for some popular crops in the tehsil Walwa. Keeping in the mind that such system should be resource conserving, socially supportive, commercially competitive and environmentally sound. So called modern agriculture requires the replacement by more sustainable choice based eco-friendly agriculture. Sustainable agriculture is a distinct set of practices, which encompasses the efforts that develop more efficient production system. At present to repair soil damages, to face challenges of climate change, hazardous effects of pesticides, fungicides, weedicides, chemical fertilizers and excess irrigation sustainable agricultural practices may be the hope for second evergreen revolution in future.
Sustainable agricultural practices must be employed by the farmers to save the agriculture and to save themselves, which will ultimately lead to save the planet earth. Our government should take emergency steps in favor of sustainable agriculture at the earliest possible and protect the rural India. It is a well-known fact that agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy and hence to improve the economy, improvement in agriculture is the need of time.

Authors :
R. R. Lohar : Postgraduate Research Center in Environmental Science, Baburaoji Gholap College, Sangvi, Pune, RIT, Rajaramnagar, Sangli, Maharashtra, India.
C. P. Hase : Associate Professor, Department of Botany, Baburaoji Gholap College, Sangvi, Pune-411027.
 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32381/JPSR.2021.37.01.17