Siddipet: TDF, Agriculture Dept launch efforts to regenerate microbes for soil enrichment

The Telangana Development Forum (TDF) with the support of Agriculture department officials in Siddipet have launched efforts to restore soil health with microbial driven regeneration

Siddipet: With excessive use of fertilisers, pesticides and cultivation of mono crops taking a toll on soil health over the last few decades, the Telangana Development Forum (TDF) with the support of Agriculture department officials in Siddipet have launched efforts to restore soil health with microbial driven regeneration.

Unlike the traditional way of sowing one green manure crop ahead of cultivation, the TDF decided to encourage farmers to sow multiple seeds as green crops. TDF representative Matta Rajeshwar Reddy and agriculture extension officer T Nagarjuna joined hands to mix 19 varieties of seeds, which included a variety of millets pulses, oil seeds, vegetable seeds, green leaf seeds and tubers apart from the regular green manure crops such as Dhaincha and Sunhemp.

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Since each plant’s rhizosphere will have unique microbes, they decided to grow multiple varieties of seeds to regenerate different types of microbes to enrich soil health. On a pilot basis, they have roped in 10 farmers in Masanpally, Ibrahimpur villages in Siddipet district and Mustabad in Rajanna-Sircilla district to sow these seeds in 10 acres this year, which they wanted to enhance based on its impact in the coming years.

They have also collaborated with Agrivast Technologies to constantly study the impact of these mixed green manure crops during the next one year. They will send the samples of the soil at regular intervals to study the impact of their attempt to regenerate the microbes in the respective fields.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Nagarjuna said the method would address climate challenges besides enhancing productivity while ensuring food security. They wanted to increase the number of seeds used as green manure in the coming years to enrich the soil with microbes, he added.