Orissa

The cultivated area in the state is about 5.8 million ha constituting 37% of total geographical area. The red lateritic acidic soils are less productive due to deficiencies as well as toxicities of nutrients. The problem of soil erosion is severe. The important crops of the state are rice, horsegram, mustard and groundnut. Suggested technological interventions for natural resource management for agriculture in the state are as follows:

� Amelioration of about 0.25 million ha of degraded acid soils through addition of lime and adequate

  fertilizers to provide additional 0.25 million tonnes of oilseeds and pulses

� Site-specific nutrient management on 1 million ha rice-rice system to provide additional 1.4 million

  tonnes of paddy/annum

� Integrated farming systems combining cereal crops, vegetables, fruits, poultry and fishery on

  waterlogged lands, ensuirng 3-4 times system productivity and economic returns of Rs

  70,000/ha/annum

� Introduction of salinity tolerant rice cultivars, viz. CSR 23, CSR 27.

Rice

The state has 4.5 million ha under rice cultivation, which covers both irrigated and rainfed areas. The state average productivity is about 1.5 tonnes/ha. The major constraints in production are submergence and drought, moderate iron toxicity in lowlands and zinc deficiency and coastal salinity. The suggested interventions are:

� Growing short duration and drought tolerant varieties like Heera, Kaling 3, Parijat, Annada Vandana

� High-yielding varieties Lalat (irrigated); Utkal Prabha, Mahalakshmi, Kanchan, Mahanadi, ORS 201 5,

   OR 1206 25 1 (shallow lands)

� Vareities Pooja, Tapaswini for submergence prone-areas

� Growing modern hybrids such as Ajaya, Rajalakshmi, JKRH 401, 6444

� Growing coastal saline areas varieties such as Lunishri, CSR 36 and CSR 27

� Ameliorating iron toxicity through higher dose of K application

� Integrated farming system involving rice-fish-horticultural crops and livestock production

� Use of drum seeder in direct seeded areas may be intensified

Mungbean

The crop has witnessed significant decrease in area, production and productivity during the last three decades. Whereas the area has declined from 4.23 lakh ha in 1975-76 to 1.95 lakh ha in 2004-05, the production declined from 1.93 lakh tonnes to 0.44 lakh tonnes. The productivity has also reduced significantly from 456 to 223 kg/ha. The constraints in production are cultivation of traditional varieties susceptible to mungbean yellow mosaic