Choosing the Crops (Groupwise) based on Water Needs

As part of our Agriculture for Everybody blog series, we are going to see how to select the Crops (Groupwise) based on Water Needs.


The Data provided below will help the farmers choose the crops based on the water availability.  The data has been grouped together for easy understanding.




Cereals

High Water Requiring	Medium Water Requiring	Low Water Requiring
Rice (1100-1250 mm)	Wheat (450-650 mm)

Fibre Crops

High Water Requiring	Medium Water Requiring	Low Water Requiring
Jute	Cotton (550-600 mm)	Agave

Flower Crops

High Water Requiring	Medium Water Requiring	Low Water Requiring
	Anthurium
	Carnation
	China Aster
	Chrysanthemum
	Crossandra
	Cut Chrysanthemum
	Cut Rose
	Dendrobium Orchid
	Gerbera
	Gladious
	Golden Rod
	Jathimalli (Pitchi)
	Lilium
	Malligai
	Marigold
	Maruvu
	Mullai
	Nerium
	Rose
	Tuberose

Forage Crops

High Water Requiring	Medium Water Requiring	Low Water Requiring
		Cumbu Napier
		Deenanath Grass
		Fodder Cholam
		Fodder Cowpea
		Fodder Cumbu
		Fodder Maize
		Guinea Grass
		Kolukattai Pullu
		Kudirai Masal (800-1600 mm)
		Muyal Masal
		Soundal
		Veli Masal

Fruit Crops

High Water Requiring	Medium Water Requiring	Low Water Requiring
Banana (1200-2200 mm)	Acidlime (900-1200 mm)	Amla
Grapes (500-1200 mm)	Apple	Annona
Papaya	Avocado	Apricot
	Bread Fruit	Ber
	Durian	Bilimbi
	Egg Fruit	Carambola
	Fig	Jamun
	Guava (22-30 ltr/plant/day)	Karonda
	Jack	Lemon
	Kiwi	Loquat
	Litchi	Mulberry
	Mandarin Orange	Phalsa
	Mango (30-40 ltr/plant/day)	Pineapple (700-1000 mm)
	Mangosteen	Pomegranate
	Passion Fruit	Rambutan
	Peach	West Indian Cherry
	Pear
	Persimmon
	Plum
	Sapota
	Strawberry
	Sweet Orange

Medicinal Crops

High Water Requiring	Medium Water Requiring	Low Water Requiring
	Aswagandha
	Gloriosa
	Phylanthus
	Senna
	Stevia
	Periwinkle
	Pyrethrum
	Digitalis
	Medicinal Dioscorea
	Medicinal Solanum
	Aloevera
	Medicinal Coleus
	Tippili

Millets

High Water Requiring	Medium Water Requiring	Low Water Requiring
	Maize (500-600 mm)	Cumbu
		Kudiraivali
		Panivaragu
		Ragi (350 mm)
		Samai
		Sorghum (350-500 mm)
		Tenai
		Varagu

Oil Seeds

High Water Requiring	Medium Water Requiring	Low Water Requiring
	Sunflower (600-1000 mm)	Castor (500 mm)
		Gingelly (350-400 mm)
		Groundnut (500-550 mm)
		Niger
		Safflower

Plantation Crops

High Water Requiring	Medium Water Requiring	Low Water Requiring
Arecanut	Coffee	Cashewnut
Betelvine	Rubber	Palmyrah
Cocoa	Tea
Coconut (80-100 ltr/plant/day)
Oilpalm

Pulses

High Water Requiring	Medium Water Requiring	Low Water Requiring
		Bengalgram (350 mm)
		Blackgram (350 mm)
		Cowpea (350 mm)
		Field lablab (350 mm)
		Garden lablab (350 mm)
		Greengram (350 mm)
		Horsegram (350 mm)
		Redgram (350 mm)
		Soybean (350 mm)
		Swordbean (350 mm)

Spices

High Water Requiring	Medium Water Requiring	Low Water Requiring
	Allspice
	Cardamom
	Cinnamon
	Clove
	Coriander
	Fennel
	Fenugreek
	Garlic
	Ginger
	Mustard
	Nutmeg
	Paprika
	Pepper (600-900 mm)
	Tamarind
	Turmeric
	Vanilla

Sugar Crops

High Water Requiring	Medium Water Requiring	Low Water Requiring
Sugarbeet (550-750 mm)
Sugarcane (1800-2200 mm)
Sweet Sorghum

Vegetables

High Water Requiring	Medium Water Requiring	Low Water Requiring
	Amaranth
	Annual Moringa
	Ash Gourd
	Asparagus
	Babycorn
	Basella
	Beetroot
	Bellary Onion (350-550 mm)
	Bhendi
	Bitter Gourd
	Bottle Gourd
	Brinjal
	Broadbeans (300-500 mm)
	Brussels Sprout
	Butter Bean
	Cabbage (380-500 mm)
	Capsicum
	Carrot
	Cauliflower
	Celery
	Ceylon Spinach
	Chakravathi Keerai
	Chekurmanis
	Chickpea
	Chillies (500 mm)
	Chinese Cabbage
	Chinese Potato (500-700 mm)
	Chow chow
	Cluster Beans (300-500 mm)
	Coccinia
	Colocasia
	Cucumber
	Curry Leaf
	Dioscorea
	Elephant Foot Yam
	French Bean
	Gherkin
	Knol-khol
	Lablab
	Lettuce
	Mint
	Musk Melon
	Palak
	Paprika
	Peas (350-500 mm)
	Potato (500-700 mm)
	Pumpkin
	Radish
	Rhubarb
	Ribbed Gourd
	Small Onion (350-550 mm)
	Snake Gourd
	Soybean
	Sweet Potato
	Tapioca
	Tinda
	Tomato (600-800 mm)
	Turnip
	Vegetable Cowpea
	Watermelon
	Winged Bean

Water Harvesting Methods

In our Agriculture for Everybody blog series, we will see the different types of Water Harvesting Methods from a farmland point of view.  We will highlight each one of them and anybody wishes to implement them can look for more detailed information elsewhere.

• Trenches
• Trenches need to be created against the flow of the water to get maximum benefit
• Trenches are best suited water harvesting method where plants or trees are the main crops.  For eg, Coconut Tree Plantations, Mango Tree Plantations etc
• Trenches can be created in between the rows of the Trees

• Swales = Continuous Contour Trenches
• Swales need to be created against the flow of the water to get maximum benefit
• Swales generally are bigger in size (in terms of width, depth & length) compared to trenches
• Swales are best suited water harvesting method where plants or trees are the main crops.  For eg, Coconut Tree Plantations, Mango Tree Plantations etc

• Bunds
• Bunds are created around the borders or periphery of the farmland to retain maximum water
• The size of the bund is bigger and deeper so that water is retained as well as ensuring that cattle and other animals do not trespass

• Open Wells
• Open Wells are best suited water harvesting (storage) method when there is run-off of rain water
• Any excess water needs to be channelled into this after filtering the sediments

• Farm Ponds
• A small portion of the land is allocated for Farm Ponds
• Generally, the Farm Pond is located at the lowest point of the farmland
• Farm Ponds are best suited water harvesting (storage) method when there is run-off of rain water
• Farm Ponds is required when we need to store large amounts of water
• Any excess water needs to be channelled into this after filtering the sediments


• Check Dams
• Check Dams are built for retaining the water in the upstream
• Check Dams ensure seepage of water into the soil thereby increasing the ground water
• Check Dams can be built in Swales and other similar structures

Water Sources

We all know Water is a very important requirement for farming activities.  In our Agriculture for Everybody blog series, we will understand the various sources from where we can get the water for our crops.

We can classify the Water Sources into two as below.

1. Internal Water Source
2. External Water Source

Internal Water Source

Internal Water Sources are those that are available within our farms.  We have some limited control on these water sources.

Generally, the Internal Water Sources are created by us and some of them are given below.

• Borewells
• Open Wells
• Ponds

I mentioned limited control in the previous paragraph, just to highlight the point, that the water in these sources can become dry if other farms in the area exploit the underground water indiscriminately by using borewells.


External Water Source

Any water source that is outside of our farm are considered External Water Source.  We have literally no control on these water sources.

Some examples of External Water Sources are

• Common Wells / Ponds
• Streams
• Springs
• Canals
• Lakes
• Rivers

If External Water Source need to be utilized, we may have to get permission from the concerned authorities.  External Water Sources need to be used co-operatively and any naturally occuring water source is the best option as these will replenish by themselves.

Live / Natural Fence - Important Considerations

In our Agriculture for Everybody blog series, we are going to understand the important considerations of Live / Natural Fence.


Assuming you have opted for Live / Natural Fence, the following need to be kept in mind so as to get the maximum benefit out of Live / Natural Fences.

• Bees - We need to have Bees for pollination and hence we need to attract the Bees to our farm.  For this, we need to have flowering plants all through the season and if we plant the flowering plants in our fences, it serves both as food for Bees and also look pleasing to the eyes and enhances the aesthetics of the farm.

• Birds - We need to have Birds for limiting/removing the worms in our farm and also the excreta dropped by them acts as a good manure and enriches the soil.  For this, we need to have Singapore Cherry and other fruit trees in our fences that birds eat and survive.  Birds build their nest generally in a multi-branch tree or shrub and hence it is important to have those plants and shrubs in our fences. 
• The following list of trees can be grown in your fence for attracting birds, bees etc:-
• Agasta or Agathi (Sesbania grandiflora)
• Alangium or Alangi (Alangium salvifolium)
• Bauhinia Tree
• Curry leaf tree or Karuvepillai (Murraya Koenigii)
• Erythrina Tree (Mul Murungai)
• Fig or Athi (Ficus racemosa)
• Guava or Goyya (Psidium guajava)
• Hibiscus
• Indian Coral Tree or Kalyana Murungai (Erythrina indica)
• Ixora (Idly Poo)
• Mast tree or Nettilingam (Polyalthia longifolia)
• Mahua or Iluppai (Madhuca indica)
• Mavalingam Tree
• Mulberry or Kambli (Morus alba)
• Murraya Shrub
• Singapore Cherry or Nei Pazhamaram (Prunus salicifolia)
• Sapota (Achras zapota)
• For a general list of fruit trees, check this link http://ramyanursery.in/tablefruitplants.html

• Owls - Owls generaly live in dead trees and hence we should not cut down dead trees.  Rather we should allow the Owls to take shelter in them as they are good at limiting the rate menace.

• Bats - We need to have plants (to be updated later) in our fences so that the Bats can take shelter in them and their droppings are very good for our soil and also they good at limiting the rat menace.

• Others - Rat Snakes, Foxes, Spiders and other animals may take refugee in our fences.  We should welcome them rather than being afraid of them.  These animals eat rats, insects and hence limit the damage to our crops.

• Water - Water is required for all the bees, birds and other animals.  We need to have multiple water points near our fences so that they can quench their thirst.  This water needs to be made freshly available every couple of days.

• Once the fences have grown completely and has become mini-forests, human interference or our own cattle should not go near the fences as it will disturb the wild birds, reptiles etc.

How to improve / sustain the Soil

In our Agriculture for Everybody blog series, we are going to see how to improve/sustain the soil.


Continuing with where we left in the last blog, we will discuss more ways to improve as well as sustain the soil.

As a rule of thumb, please remember "The Soil need not be exposed to direct sunlight and the sunlight is required only for the plants and that too by the leaves of the plants"

Don't expose the soil to direct sunlight

1. Most of the land is occupied by Trees, Crops etc and only the minimal area is not occupied by any crop.  In this situation, we can go for Live (or) Green Mulch, Dead Mulch.
2. In case of traditional crops like Paddy, Sugarcane etc, the unwanted roots or branches should not be burnt and left as is to decompose in the very soil.
3. Live Mulch can be even weeds as well as any legume crops or grasses as well.
4. Dead Mulch can be plantains, dead leaves, twigs, broken branches etc.  The Dead Mulch need to be spread in those areas where the soil is exposed to the sunlight and this will reduce the soil getting hot and also will reduce the evaporation in the process.

The Soil can be improved further if we allow the earthworms to live there.  The earthworms cannot tolerate direct sunlight and hence will not be coming to the top of the soil if there is direct sunlight.  As we all know, the more the earthworms, it is better for the soil as well as for the farmer.  The earthworms improve the air passage, water seepage and provide nutrients to the roots of the crops.

We can also improve the soil by making the dead mulch decompose faster by sprinkling (cow dung + cow urine) mixture whenever there is heavy dead mulch available.

Traditionally, the goats / sheeps are allowed to stay overnight in the land so that the excreta that falls from them will improve the soil and this method is employed even today.

Soil carried by Wind

1. We need to implement Wind Breakers to control this and this has to be done in a V shape model.
2. The plants selected should have many branches and it should be thick (like Glyricidia) and should not have only one stem like coconut.
3. During the summer, we can go for short term crops to ensure that the top soil is covered and hence cannot be carried by wind.

Soil carried by Water

1. Water should not flow very fast and this is also one of the reasons for losing the top soil and the nutrients along with it.
2. Where water flows very fast, it should be made to walk. Create trenches along the gradient of the slope or every 25 or 50 feet to ensure that the speed of the water is reduced considerably.
3. Where water walks, it should be made to crawl.  If the land is occupied by grasses or other crops, it will make the water slow down to a considerable extent.
4. Where water crawls, it should be made to stop.  This can be a storage pit or tank or pond.

Compactness or Hardness

1. The Compactness or Hardness of the soil is done by humans by walking, heavy cattle grazing, heavy machinery, long term non-usage of the land etc.
2. Heavy machinery should never be used when the land is very wet. By Heavy Machinery, I mean tractors, harvesting machines etc.

The above are some of the ways we can sustain or improve the soil.

Choosing the Right Crop

In our Agriculture for Everybody blog series, we are going to see how to choose the Right Crop.


The following are some of the important parameters to consider for identifying or narrowing down to the right crop. It does not mean these factors alone will be be sufficient but can give you a headstart in finalzing the crop.

Please note that the mention of crops includes everything (Plants, Animals etc).

The basic parameters are:-

1. Land Bank
2. Soil Type
3. Water Availability
4. Gestation Period
5. Net Profit

Land Bank means the available land on hand.  This is a very important parameter as this will decide the scale of operations.

Soil Type will help to decide the Crops that can be grown in that land.

Water Availability - Helps you to identify the Crops based on the water resources available.

Gestation Period - How much time you will have to wait before you can start your harvest?

Net Profit - When there are multiple choices available considering the first four parameters, this will be the deciding factor.

You may be surprised to note that I have not mentioned Money as an important factor.  I feel that Money is NOT  the deciding factor but it is necessary to an extent.
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I am presenting few ideas here and I hope this will kindle your imagination further.

Do you know that even without owning any Land Bank you can do agriculture related activity?

1. You can do Honey Bee farming from your house (Urban as well as Rural).
2. You can do Fish Farming in your Village Tank, Pond etc (after getting the permissions and paying the necessary fees)

Is there any activity that can be done in small land holding (less than 2400 sq ft)?

1. You can go for Mushroom Farming
2. You can go for Rabbit Farming
3. You can go for Pigeon Farming
4. You can go for Sericulture Farming

If anybody has more ideas, please let me know.  I will add to this list.