WG3: Work Plan 2006
Salt-affected lowlands
*Detailed version can be downloaded here.


2006 Work Plan Summary*

Cuttack, India


Key Site: Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI), Cuttack, India

IRRI team: RK Singh (WG Co-Leader), A Ismail, T Paris
CRRI team: SG Sharma (WG Leader), DP Singh (Key Site Coordinator) KR Mahata, P Sen, S Saha

  • Demonstrate on-farm the optimal nutrient management for the nursery, involving inorganic fertilizer and Azolla compost, as well as disseminate the technologies to farmers.
  • Demonstrate on-farm the improved practice of transplanting older seedlings as well as disseminate these practices to farmers.
  • Test in shallow lowlands, improved nutrient management involving combinations of Sesbania green manure, Azolla biofertilizer, and prilled urea, while Sesbania green manure will be tested in intermediate lowlands.
  • Evaluate salt-tolerant germplasm, including promising varieties/elite lines and new lines; conduct baby trials of promising varieties, and evaluate elite breeding lines from CRRI and IRRI; select varieties/lines through PVS for multiplication to make them available to farmers.
  • Evaluate best-bet management practices for salt-tolerant varieties in farmers’ fields for comparisons to farmers’ usual practices.
  • Evaluate nonrice cropping sequences in a rice-based system under low and high salinity to determine optimal production requirements; crops are sunflower, watermelon, chilli, lady’s finger, pumpkin and groundnut (low salinity), and sunflower and Basella (high salinity).
  • Evaluate rice landraces for agro-morphological characteristics related to salt tolerance.
  • Conduct scaling-up activities, including farmers field day in the October-November time frame, farmers’ visits to on-farm experimental sites, documentation of validated technologies/decision tools for materials to be distributed to areas beyond CURE sites, and use printed, electronic and Web site media in local language to disseminate CURE technologies over a wider area. Local governmental units and nongovernmental organizations will be involved in the process.
  • Conduct formal impact with assistance of IRRI Social Sciences Division; in another activity, obtain farmers’ feedback on constraints and opportunities for effective adoption of validated technologies.
  • Organize a policy dialogue workshop to involve local government officials from coastal states, NGOs, development agencies and other stakeholders.