|
Salt affected soils are an important
ecological entity in the landscape of nay
arid and semi-arid country. India they occupy
nearly 8.6 million hectares (mha) and represent
a serious threat to our ability to increase
food production to meet the expanding needs.
The establishment of CSSRI in 1969 gave
a real impetus to the reclamation of salt
affected soils in the country. The main
thrust of the Institute in the seventies
was on development of technology for reclamation
of alkali soils and its transfer to farmers,
whereas in the eighties it was on reclamation
of waterlogged saline soils. Of late the
focus is on utilization of poor quality
waters and saline effluents.
The
success of CSSRI efforts is clear from the
rapid spread of reclamation efforts and
widespread adoption of our alkali soil reclamation
package and other technologies for waterlogged
saline soils. However with the increasing
need to reclaim vast areas of salt affected
soils still lying barren in many parts of
the country, the increasing spread of waterlogging
and salinity due to increase in irrigated
area, the continuous deterioration in water
quality and availability of only marginal
waters for agriculture, the need to concentrate
agriculture into good areas and increase
fuelwood production from marginal areas
like salt affected soils, the urgent need
to conserve our gene pools of useful crop
plants and increase the tolerance of crop
plants by hybridization and the need to
develop reliable resource inventories salty
soils and waters, the CSSRI needs to redouble
its efforts in the coming years to complete
the unfinished tasks.
We
also need to pay attention to certain areas
of research, which were earlier not our
priorities. Development of alkali soil reclamation
technology for areas underlain by brackish
water or areas with limited access to irrigation
water; development of alternative technology
for situations where subsurface drainage
is not feasible; researches on novel methods
of utilizing saline water where fresh water
is not available for mixing; diversification
of existing cropping patterns into cash/horticultural
crops; and increasing the pace of technology
transfer efforts to marginal production
environments will receive our urgent attention
in coming years.
With
increasing competition for good quality
lands and water resources agriculture will
be pushed more and more into marginal environments.
Water will be a major constraint and with
more and more use of poor quality waters,
area under salinity and waterlogging will
rise. We need excellent inventories on salt
affected soils and PQW, develop cheaper
options for reclamation of alkali soils
through the biological route, develop cheaper
options for reclamation of alkali soils
through the biological route, develop and
adopt preventive strategies to check waterlogging,
scientific water management practices, cheaper
drainage technology, eco-friendly options
for use of saline drainage waters etc.,
find solutions for the problem of excess
water in monsoon and deficit in winter in
coastal saline soils. Also efforts need
to be redoubled for increasing the adoption
of alkali soils reclamation technology by
farmers in resource constraint situations
and develop participatory approach for reclamation
of saline and waterlogged soils by drainage.
Economic assessment of technology and research
prioritization will increasingly use indices
like equity and sustainability. Human resources
development will be reoriented to meet the
increasingly sophisticated needs in the
emerging situation.
Looking
ahead at the existing and new challenges
in the coming 25 years and to develop a
comprehensive strategy in order to fulfill
our above stated mandates, the CSSRI has
prepared a perspective research plan for
the coming decades addressing all the issues
in an interdisciplinary approach. This document
looks at the mandate, and achievements of
the institute; focuses on the present national
and international scenario and analysis
our strengths and weaknesses in various
areas to tackle the challenges ahead and
looks at a perspective of 25 years, lays
the cornerstones of policy within which
we need to operate and broadly analyzes
the issues which will come to the fore and
need our research attention. We recognize
that in order to fulfill our mandate we
need to work in a multi-disciplinary approach
and in a multi-institutional framework so
that the technology is widely diffused.
This approach is evident throughout in the
multitude of linkages envisaged with various
central and state agencies.
(Dr. Gurbachan Singh)
Director
|
