It was reported on September 24, 2020 that the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) has introduced a new solution to tackle stubble burning by farmers, which is not only eco-friendly but also fast. The researchers have developed tablets, called PUSA Decomposer, which is a set of four tablets made by extracting fungi strains that decomposes the paddy straw at a much faster rate than usual. Thus, farmers have the option to shred the straw, spray a solution containing the fungal strains, and mix it with the soil for decomposition.
Generally, shredded, watered paddy straw, mixed with soil, takes at least 45 days to decompose, which makes farmers unable to prepare fields for the wheat crop on time. However, the PUSA Decomposer will decompose it in 25 days. Since crop stubble is a major source of winter pollution in Delhi, this low-cost and effective technology would prove to be highly beneficial in dealing with this problem.
As per the director of the institute, A.K. Singh, that the method would be cheap and also result in better soil quality. The cost of employing it would be around Rs 300 per acre, including the cost of labour. When organic matter decomposes in sand, it improves the quality of soil in a way that inorganic fertilisers can not. As the fungi only impact dead straw, the wheat crop remains safe.
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Other Solutions to Burning Problem
Stubble burning emits, in the atmosphere, large amounts of toxic pollutants, including harmful gases like methane (CH4), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Volatile organic compound (VOC) and carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These pollutants pose great threat to health, particularly respiratory problems. Therefore, the Union government released the National Policy for Management of Crop Residue in 2014, which not only helped tackle the problem of stubble clearing without affecting soil health. Further, it also saved Rs 2,000 per hectare from the farmer’s manure cost. Now, farmers can manage crop residues effectively with the help of agricultural machines like Happy Seeder, Rotavator, Baler, Paddy Straw Chopper, Reaper Binder, etc. However, these options are quite expensive for most of the farmers.
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Courtesy: Indian Express, downtoearth.org.in