Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh, characterized by semi-arid, moist to dry, sub-humid climate, has 10.1 million ha cultivated area, constituting 37% of state�s total geographical area. The irrigated area is 36% of the total cultivated area. The soils are red lateritic and black with low fertility and salinity problem. There is recurrence of droughts and severe cyclonic storms. The important crops are rice, cotton, groundnut, pigeonpea, sunflower, blackgram and sorghum. With cropping intensity of 122%, foodgrains, production is 13.4 million tonnes. Suggested interventions for natural resource management for agriculture in the state are as follows:

� Water harvesting, renovation of village ponds, dug out wells to augment water resources in rainfed    areas

� Site-specific nutrient management on 0.5 million ha in rice-rice system to have additional production of 1.24 million tonnes/annum

� Amelioration of 0.81 million ha of salt-affected soils in canal commands (0.14 million ha), outside canal (0.39 million ha) and coastal areas (0.28 million ha) to enhance production by 0.5 million tonnes/annum

Rice

The state has about 4 million ha under rice which is mainly irrigated. The area has been fluctuating between 2.8 and 4.2 million ha during the last seven years. The state average productivity is about 3 tonnes/ha. The major constraints in production are biotic stresses such as bacterial leaf blight (BLB), gall midge and sheath blight and abiotic stresses like water scarcity. Suggested interventions are:

� Growing medium slender grain hybrids like Suruchi along with recent varieties like Cottondora Sannalu, Maruteru Sannalu, WGL 14 (Warangal Sannalu)

� Use of BLB resistant rice varieties like Ajay and Improved Samba Mahsuri (with tolerance to BLB)

� Use of effective chemicals against sheath blight (Sheathmar)

� Gall midge biotype specific resistant varieties like Varalu (biotype 4M in Warangal), Vamsadhara (biotype 4 in Srikakulam), Jagtial Mahsuri (biotype 3 in Karimnagar) may be cultivated

� Adoption of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) saves 30-40% water and 60% seed. The key cultural      practices followed in SRI are soil nutrient management through adequate farmyard manure application, transplantation of young seedlings (8 to 12 days old) with soil clump (along with seed), at wider spacing (25 cm � 25 cm), regular weeding and protective irrigation to keep soil wet without flooding