El Niño: Red Gram, Cotton Farmers Incur Heavy Losses

Anantapur: The adverse impact of El Niño on the farming communities is widely felt across the Rayalaseema region. The major crop, groundnut, withered in more than 10 lakh hectares while similar acreage of red gram and cotton too faced the same fate due to rain-deficit conditions.

Though groundnut is the main crop for Anantapur, Satya Sai, Kadapa and parts of Kurnool and Nandyal districts, a majority of farmers were unable to do sowings in the peak stage of the kharif season. Rayalaseema region carried with it 14 lakh hectares of dry crops, mainly groundnut and red gram.

Very little acreage of groundnut under borewells survived this season while more than 90 per cent of the crop withered at early stages; and it became difficult to get even fodder for the milch animals.

This year, farmers pinned their hopes on cultivation of red gram. Expecting timely rainfall, they did the sowings of this as the main crop instead of having an intercrop of groundnut. Several traders had entered the scene and taken lease of land from the farmers by offering them money in many parts of Satya Sai and Anantapur districts.

Red gram is highly vulnerable to prolonged moisture stress and this crop was badly damaged at an early stage itself. Rekulakunta weather station scientist K Narayana Swamy told Deccan Chronicle that the red gram fields are being cleared of the crop by the farmers after their hopes were lost.

As of now, a major agricultural concern in Rayalaseema is the combination of rainfall deficiency, prolonged dry spells, high temperatures and declining soil moisture. These conditions are particularly serious for rain-fed cotton, redgram, cotton and groundnut.

In addition, black cotton soil -- spread in Uravakonda, parts of Adoni in Kurnool district along with adjacent Karnataka borders – is preferred for cotton cultivation. Reduced vegetative growth and leaf curling, flower shedding and poor boll setting under severe moisture stress are evident due to rain deficit conditions. A majority of the cotton fields are in a worse condition and farmers dig out the saplings to prevent further soil damage.

* Cotton

Cotton crops in several rain-fed areas are experiencing moisture stress, particularly where there have been prolonged dry spells.

Major effects:

Reduced vegetative growth and leaf curling/wilting.

Flower shedding and poor boll-setting under severe moisture stress.

Reduced boll size and delayed boll development.

Poor fibre development if moisture stress continues during boll filling.

High temperature may favour sucking pests such as whitefly, jassids and thrips.

* Redgram

Redgram is highly vulnerable to prolonged moisture stress

Major effects:

Reduced branching and plant growth.

* Groundnut

Groundnut is particularly sensitive to moisture stress during pegging and pod development.

Major effects:

Reduced peg formation and penetration.

Poor pod development.

Immature and empty pods.

Reduced kernel filling.

Significant reduction in pod yield if moisture stress persists.