The planting season is divided into 3 parts in India. Mainly as Kharif, Zaid, and Rabi.
- Kharif season – It falls from June to the early days of November. It includes crops such as Maize, Paddy, Jute, Cotton, Sugarcane, and Millet.
- Zaid season – Falls between March-June and includes the growing of Fruits & Vegetables.
- Rabi Season – Falls between November-March and includes crops like Wheat and Tobacco.
Each season is important to grow revenue-generating crops. However, certain factors must be kept in mind while growing each crop to get the highest yield.
Wondering how you can maximise yield from your season of planting? Let’s help you discover top tips that are proven to maximise your crop production, quality, quantity, and, moreover, market value.
Top Tips to Increase Yield in Planting Season
Here are the following steps to help you get the most from the agriculture season.
1. Get the Best Planting Equipment
You must buy the latest planting equipment to help with high yields during the planting season of agriculture.
- You must have the best quality tractors from brands like John Deere, Mahindra, Sonalika, etc.
- For sowing seeds, you can invest in high-grade seed drill machines.
- For spraying fertilisers at an optimum amount, spraying implements would be the best choice.
- And, for fast and quality harvesters, you can choose types of harvesters from quality brands.
All in all, you must have great farming machinery and stationery that can enhance productivity and efficiency.
2. Go for Seed Treatments
Seeds procured for sowing can become infected with microbes or pests. Which, in turn, can affect the seed’s germination and infect the plant further.
Therefore, treating the seed before sowing can help prevent the seed from soil or air-borne diseases. Moreover, it can increase the germination process and deliver more crop productivity.
The following actions are required to keep the seed protected during the state of dormancy:
3. Add Best Fertilisers & Farm Yard Manure
Try to add a balanced ratio of organic and inorganic fertiliser to have better planting and germination.
Types of Organic Fertilisers to Add in Your Farm
1. Cow Dung Manure
Cow dung manure is one of the best organic fertilisers in India. Moreover, the best cow dung fertiliser would appear black, moisturised, and powdered.
2. Bio-Compost
Bio-compost is produced from biowaste that can decompose and change into regular compost. Moreover, the best types of bio-fertilizers are green waste that you can find in your kitchen, fruit peels, brown waste from farms, eggshells, etc.
3. Leaf Mould
Leaf mould fertiliser is made from fungus, bacteria or dry leaves. In addition, this type is best suited for growing vegetables and fruits. As it has good humus, you can use it for rooting or growing a stem in and around orchard farms.
4. Vermicompost
Vermicompost is natural waste derived from earthworms. Moreover, it appears dark and moist and, in some instances, can be powdery as well.
5. Wood Ash
Wood ash is a good source of lime and potassium. Besides that, it provides other nutrients that help with plants’ growth.
6. Peat
Peat is one of the popular organic fertilisers and compost that decomposes partially by organic materials. Moreover, it is produced from plant materials which are dense and suitable during waterlogging, acidity in the soil, deficiency of oxygen, and lack of nutrients.
Types of Inorganic Fertilisers to Add for More Yield
1. Nitrogen Fertilizer
Nitrogen fertiliser contains ammonia that is helpful for growing plants. Moreover, its urea fertiliser is another popular nitrogen fertiliser as it’s non-explosive nature. Various other nitrogen fertilisers are available that help with the growth of plants.
2. Phosphorus Fertilisers
Phosphorus Fertilisers mainly contain the:
- Diammonium Phosphate (DAP)
- Monoammonium Phosphate (MAP)
- NPKs
These fertilisers are suitable due to their high nutrition components and good physical properties.
3. Potassium Fertilisers
Potassium is a type of potash fertiliser that is highly valued globally. In addition, Potash provides essential nutrients helpful for growing crops. Moreover, potassium is very helpful in growing plants and making them disease-free. Further, it also helps maintain their rigidity and makes them drought-tolerant.
4. Sulphur, Calcium, and Magnesium Fertilisers
These all are essential plant nutrients that are helpful for increasing the pH level in the soil (if required).
5. Micronutrient Fertilisers
Micronutrients fertilisers are a type of mixed fertiliser that contains chlorine, boron, manganese, Zinc, iron, and so many other components. Furthermore, all these types of fertilisers provide a great nutritional supply to plants.
Add crop-specific fertilisers as follows to get the best from the planting seasons in agriculture.
- Nitrates – Suitable for growing plants faster and boosting their speed to produce more leaves.
- Phosphates – Provides nutrients to the roots and help with their rapid growth.
- Potash – It helps with the quality production of fruit, flowers and vegetables. The high amount of potash leads to good quality fruit development with a rich taste and shiny appearance.
- Mixed fertilisers – You can mix nitrates, phosphates and potash as micronutrients to develop good-quality leaves, roots, flowers & and fruits.
6. Adopt the Latest Farming Technology & Techniques
Agriculture today has greatly innovated. Today we have advanced agri-robots, temperature & moisture sensors, GPS technology, agriculture drones etc., to revamp the planting scenarios.
Adopting these advanced devices and methods of precision agriculture or robotic systems will help make the planting process more efficient, secure and high-yielding.
7. Ensure Quality Tractor Tyres
Choosing long-lasting tractor tyres, specially designed for various farming applications, is necessary. So, ensure your tractor tyres don’t run flat or puncture while dealing with rugged planting fields.
You can select from these high-quality tractor tyre brands:
- CEAT Tractor Tyres
- MRF Tractor Tyres
- Birla Tractor Tyres
- JK Tractor Tyres
- Apollo Tractor Tyres
- BKT TractorTyres
- Good Year Tractor Tyres
8. Manage Weed
Weeds can restrict the growth of actual plants. They can extract all the nutrients, water or fertiliser given to the main plant. Thus, it is important to stop them from growing to get the most from the season of planting.
Top 6 Farming Plants That Give Great Yield
1. Bamboo Plants
Bamboo plants bring good fortune, longevity, wealth and other virtues. Moreover, many entrepreneurs, homeowners, & individuals prefer to add this to attract good virtues. Hence, it is very hard to keep up with their demand. Growing bamboo can help encash many opportunities.
2. Herbs
Herbs are a great addition to the culinary world as they enhance the flavour. In addition, they are also helpful in making medicine to heal wounds as well. Cultivating herbs can be profitable for Indian farmers. Some of the profit-making herbs are:
- Row basil
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Chives
- Cilantro
- Oregano
Moreover, farmers can grow lavender as well. They also have a sweet smell and fragrance, making them a good option for sprayers or essential oils. Other than that, Tulsi, the holy Indian herb, is easy to grow in small backyards.
3. Mushrooms
Having limited farm space? Mushroom is a great option that grows in a small space and still would help you get lucrative earning opportunities.
Exotic mushrooms, such as oysters and shiitake, are easy to grow without soils at the back of the yard or any small farm field. So, growing exotic mushrooms will always give you get an edge over other plants.
4. Ornamental Grasses
Ornamental grasses require low maintenance and are drought-tolerant. Moreover, it has huge demand amongst homeowners and interior decorators. These grasses are available in various shapes, sizes and colours. In addition, they are suitable for covering grounds, decorating wall gardens, creating backdrops and gardens, and creating boundaries or shade on any premises.
Do you know a single mother plant can help you with hundreds of ornamental grass plants? In addition, Miscanthus, a popular variety of ornamental grass, provides an average yield of about 7-10 dry tons per acre annually.
5. Ginseng
For Asians, ginseng is a tonic herb with many healing properties. This plant requires only 6 years to grow. After that, you can start selling its rootlets and seeds to generate good returns. India has an ideal weather condition for cultivating ginseng growth. Provided, you must have enough cold winter cycles to help it mature and flourish.
Ginseng Yields
If provided with ideal weather conditions and other agro-factors, you can yield 1 tonne of ginseng per acre of land.
6. Medicinal Plants
Medicinal plants have great profitability in the commercial market. Aloe Vera is a popular yet low-maintenance medicinal plant with the highest yield, which can be 15 to 20 tonnes per hectare of land.
Conclusion!
These were the top tips to get the most from the planting season in India. Ensure these practices, and you will get the highest yield. However, note that the yield varies according to crop type, sowing areas, state, and climatic conditions. But if you put the best farming tractors, implements and practices in place, you can get the best return.
Hope the above tips help you achieve more than the desired yield in any agriculture season you choose for planting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Que. How many seasons in agriculture are there?
Ans. India has three cropping seasons in a year:
- Kharif season – It falls from June to the early days of November. It includes crops such as Maize, Paddy, Jute, Cotton, Sugarcane, and Millet.
- Zaid season – Falls between March-June and includes the growing of Fruits & Vegetables.
- Rabi Season – Falls between November-March and includes crops like Wheat and Tobacco.
Que. What are the best steps in farming?
Ans. Farming involves the following broader steps:
- Sowing
- Manuring
- Irrigation
- Weeding
- Harvesting
- Storage
Que. How to avoid nutrient deficiency?
Ans. Depending on the deficiencies, you should put the required amount of micronutrients into your plants.
Que. Which fertiliser is best for our plant?
Ans. Organic & Inorganic fertilisers in a balanced ratio are good for providing nutrients for plants.
Que. What fertilisers are best for growing leaves?
Ans. Nitrates are highly preferred for growing leaves. It helps with the formation of leaves much faster.
Que. Which are easily available organic fertilisers for planting?
Ans. Bio-waste and Cow dung are the best organic fertilisers, readily available at low cost.
Que. Which inorganic fertiliser helps make the strongest roots?
Ans. To strengthen plant roots, you can use phosphate nutrients.
Que. Which crop is suitable for all seasons farming?
Ans. Rice is the cash crop suitable for growing throughout all three agricultural seasons in India.
Que. Which season in agriculture is suitable for growing maize crops?
Ans. Maize is the third most important food crop after rice and wheat. They are produced during the Kharif seasons, covering 80% of the area.
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