Bihar

The state has 5.71 million ha of cultivated area, of which 3.43 million ha (61%) has assured irrigation. The soils are deep alluvial, but suffer due to salinity/alkalinity and nutrient deficiencies of sulphur, boron and zinc. Occasional flooding and imperfect drainage affect crop growth. Rice, wheat and winter maize are predominant crops of the state. The productivity of different crops in the state is less than the national average. The total foodgrains production is 7.7 million tonnes. Suggested interventions for natural resource management for agriculture in the state are as follows:

� Site-specific nutrient management on 0.5 million ha to produce additional 2.6 million tonnes of foodgrains

� Introduction of pulses and oilseeds on rice fallows with supplementary irrigation facility

� Zero tillage on 1.5 million ha having excess soil moisture after rice harvest to enhance production by 0.45 million tonnes

� Promotion of quality protein maize having tremendous food and feed potential

Rice

The state has about 3.2 million ha under rice cultivation, which is mostly rainfed covering both uplands and shallow lowland ecosystems. The area has decreased from 3.66 to 3.22 million ha during the last six years. The state average productivity is about 1 tonne/ha. The major constraints in production are flash floods and submergence, drought in uplands, zinc deficiency and bacterial blight. Appropriate technological interventions are:

� Cultivation of short duration and drought tolerant varieties Vandana, Tulasi, Rajashree

� Cultivation of varieties Rajendra Mahsuri, Rajendra Sweta and Swarna in flood prone and 

   submergence areas

� Cultivation of bacterial blight resistant varieties such as Ajaya, IR 64

� Application of zinc sulphate in zinc-defficient areas.

Wheat

Bihar is potentially an important wheat growing state that contributes 5.7% towards national production from 8% of wheat growing area of the country with a low productivity of 1.9 tonnes/ha. The yield gap between farmers� fields and frontline demonstration is about 1.2 tonnes/ha. The area, production and productivity, averaged over last five years are 2.1 million ha, 4 million tonnes and 1.9 tonnes/ha respectively. The major constraints in production are low seed replacement rates, late sowing, low farm mechanization and foliar blight disease. Suitable technological interventions are:

� Improved varieties

   Irrigated timely sown: K 0307, HD 2733, HD 2824, HP 1761, PBW 443, HUW 468,
  K 9107, NW 1012