Accomplishments in Research on Alkali Soils

• Identification of the causes (genesis) of alkali soil formulation.
• Determination of the sodicity tolerance of crops to develop cropping sequences at various stages of reclamation.
• Development of models to study hydrologic behaviour of alkali watershed.
• Conceptualization and implementation of three-tier rainwater management technology.
• Assembling, testing and extending a comprehensive agrochemical based alkali land reclamation technology. The technology has been extended to 1 million ha of affected land.

Accomplishments in Research of Waterlogged Saline Soils

• Decision support system for designing irrigation management interventions to improve efficiency.
• Analytical and numerical models for computing leaching requirements.
• Development of design criterion for horizontal sub-surface drainage, and testing the design in small, medium and large scale pilot projects.
• Feasibility and scope of reuse of drainage waters.
• Techno-economic evaluation of the land reclamation programmes for making recommendations for large scale implementation.

Marginal Quality Waters

• Guidelines for classification and use of saline/sodic waters.
• Testing of different conjunctive use modes for using multi-quality waters.
• Efficacy of different water application technique-surface, pitcher and drip.
• Crop growth stages sensitive to saline/sodic water application have been identified and the relative sensitivity to saline irrigation.
• Efficiency of different chemical amendments and techniques.
• Simulation of long term effect of saline/sodic water application in a basin/command area.

Alternate Land Uses for Salt Affected Soils

• Salt tolerant tree species for alkali and saline soils have been identified. Biomass production, nodulation, nitrogen fixation and nutrient recycling studies in MTPS demonstrated the potential benefits.
• An augerhole technique for afforestation was developed which significantly improves survival of saplings and is now used by forest departments . Planting in furrows in irrigation channels improves survival in saline soils.
• Several agroforestry models involving trees and compatible crops worked out.

Crop Improvement for Salinity, Alkalinity and Waterlogging Stresses

• Breeding Programme of salt tolerant crop varieties has resulted in the release of Salt tolerant varieties of rice  (CSR 10,  CSR 13,   CSR 27, CSR 30) , wheat  (KLR 1-4, KRL 19) , mustard (CS 52) and gram (Karnal Chana 1).
• Indices for higher tolerance of some crop varieties have been established in terms of avoidance of Na uptake and maintaining low Na/K ratio in shoot.
• Higher nutrient supply helps overcome salt stress.

Management of Coastal Saline Soils

• Saline and acid saline soil in parts of coastal West Bengal and Orissa have been characterized.
• New crop varieties, improved cropping systems, efficient nutrient management and 'rabi' cropping in monocropped coastal saline soils have been introduced.
• An economically viable 'package' on rain water harvesting in dugout farm pond and its judicious use for multiple cropping was evaluated in coastal saline soil conditions.
• An economically viable rice-cum-sweet water fish system in kharif followed by brackish water fish culture during rabi is recommended for the coastal saline area of Sunderbans.
• A crop calendar has been developed which permits best utilization of rainwater and minimizes yield losses as a results of heavy storms.

Technology Evaluation & Transfer

• Successful demonstration of alkali soil reclamation technology in ORP villages was done and has been an important accomplishment of the institute.
• Procedures to assess damage by waterlogging and salinity in irrigation commands was developed and applied to several important irrigation command areas.
• Constraints analysis to identify bottlenecks in transfer of technology from research organization to the farmer's fields.
• Knowledge tests and attitude scales were developed for use in extension education programmes. Models were formulated to predict adoption of reclamation technology by different categories of farmers.
• Through training and other human resource development programmes, over 1500 SMSs working in State Departments were trained .

PG Education and Staff Development

• An advanced center of post graduate education and research on 'Irrigation Management' was established with UNDP support. 20 Ph.D and 35 M.Tech. scholar completed their programme.
• Course curriculum for non degree training courses on Irrigation Management (ICAR-UNDP Programme) and Land Drainage (Indo-Dutch Programme) were developed and the course for Indian and Foreign Nations were organized.