1. UTTAR BANGA KRISHI VISWAVIDYALAYA PUNDIBARI, COOCHBEHAR, WEST BENGAL-736165

2. Our Location
UBKV, COOCHBEHAR, WB

3. Districtwise Agri-features and Institutional Presence of UBKV in North Bengal

4. IMPORTANT FEATURES OF NORTH BENGAL
Geographical Area: sq km
Population : 1.87 crores
Rural – 86%
SC / ST population – 40%
Small and Marginal Farmers – 88%
Soil
Light textured, deficient in macro and micronutrient
Low soil pH, high water table
High humidity (Max.: 87-97%; Min: 43-65%)
Rainfall – 1485 mm (Malda) to 3508mm (Jalpaiguri)
Poor irrigation facility, 38% (Malda) to 16% (Coochbehar); State average: 42.8%

5. Area, Production and Productivity of Wheat in West Bengal
Year
Area
(‘000ha.)
Production
(‘000 ton)
Productivity
(kg/ha.)
426.0
1058.6
2485
405.4
887.4
2189
425.7
985.7
2315
400.1
841.5
2103
367.0
774.0
2109
351.0
799.0
2281
353.0
917.0
2602
316.0
765.0
2490
307.0
847.0
2680
Source: Economic Review, Govt. of W.B

6. Major Cropping sequence
- Old – Alluvial Zone
Winter rice - Fallow
Winter rice - Summer rice
Maize - winter rice - Potato / wheat / vegetable (emerging)
- Terai Zone
Jute / Maize – winter rice – Potato / vegetable

7. Intervening Areas for Wheat Area expansion
- Old – Alluvial Zone
Replacement of summer rice by wheat
Expansion of wheat area through covering fallow and utilizing excess water from boro-paddy for supplementary use
-Terai Zone
Expansion of area through covering fallow utilizing residual soil moisture
Application of supplementary irrigation at critical growth stage through decreasing potato area.

8. Major constraints of wheat production in West Bengal
Late transplanting of paddy after jute coupled with long duration varieties like Swarna
Late sowing of wheat
- Loss / problem in harvesting due to occurrence of pre-monsoon rain
- Suffering from terminal heat during panical / ripening stage
- Non-availability of good late sown variety
- Micronutrient deficiency such as boron cause spikelet sterility in wheat
- Occurrence of foliar blight diseases like Zonate Eye Spot, Leaf Blight, Tan Spot, Spot Blotch
Spikelet sterility
Preharvest sprouting
Foliar blight

9. Technologies Generated from CIMMYT Collaborated Programmes

10. SPOT BLOTCH RESISTANT GENOTYPE
BASED ON AUDPC 2
ENTRY No.
CROSS NAMES
AUDPC1
AUDPC2
6746
ELVIRA//INQALAB 91*2/KUKUNA
83.33
148.15
6702
TILHI/4/CROC_1/AE.SQUARROSA (213)//PGO/3/CMH81.38/2*KAUZ
108.02
169.75
6739
PBW343/HUITES/4/YAR/AE. SQUARROSA (783)//MILAN/3/BAV92
101.85
197.53
6726
INQALAB 91*2/KUKUNA//2*KRONSTAD F2004
129.63
216.05
6731
SERI.1B*2/3/KAUZ*2/BOW//KAUZ*2/5/CNO79//PF70354/MUS/3/PASTOR/4/BAV92
157.41
6742
PBW343*2/KUKUNA//PBW343*2/KUKUNA/3/PBW343
166.67
231.48
6719
WHEAR/3/PBW343/PASTOR//ATTILA/3*BCN
182.10
246.91
6729
CNDO/R143//ENTE/MEXI_2/3/AEGILOPS SQUARROSA TAUS)/4/WEAVER……
154.32
262.35
6749
185.19
287.04
6751
LOCAL CHECK
188.27
6710
CROC_1/AE.SQUARROSA (205)//KAUZ/3/SASIA/4/TROST
191.36
293.21
6738
WAXWING*2/CIRCUS
6707
299.38
6714
SERI.1B*2/3/KAUZ*2/BOW//KAUZ*2/4/KRONSTAD F2004
302.47

11. Selection of stress tolerant wheat
Selection of terminal heat tolerant varieties for late (15th December) and very late (30th December) sown conditions
Late Sown- Francolin (4.05 t/ha), and NW 2036 (3.40 t/ha)
Very Late Sown- Francolin (3.24 t/ha), and NW 2036 (2.84 t/ha)
Selection of genotypes for tolerance to Boron Defficiency
UBW 5 (BD(JAM)208-IJE-OJE-OJE……..), UBW 6 (CMSS 93Y02712T-40Y………….), UBW 7 (TNMU/3/ALD/COC/URES)

12. ZERO-TILLAGE WHEAT (Conservation Agriculture Approach)
Use varieties suitable for late sowing
To utilize residual soil moisture
Area expansion of wheat for high ecological land use.
To combat weed problem
Minimize disease occurrence
Varietal Performance
HD 2733, DBW 39 (Timely Sown)
NW 2036, Francolin (Late Sown) 12

13. VARIETAL SELECTION FOR ZERO TILLAGE CONDITIONS
Sl. No.
Variety
Yield (t/h)
Foliar blight ZT CT 1
Francolin
5.20
5.25 55 75 2
Ruby
3.36
4.58 54 3
Agrim
2.90
2.39 77 4
HD 2827
3.80
3.97 5
Sarpat
3.91
3.14 6
DBW 17
3.40 7
DBW 39
5.30
5.17 8
DBW 38
3.85
4.65 9
Munal
4.20
3.95 10
Ko 307
4.72
4.50 74 11
Raj 4120
3.60
3.76 12
HD 2687
3.84
3.50 13
HD 2985
3.59
3.70 14
HD 2733
5.35 15
PBW 621
4.10
4.23 16
Sonalika
3.78 79

14. Weed- A major problem for NEPZ
Polygonum pensylvanicum
Polygonum persicaria
Polygonum hydropiper
Weed pressure in wheat at Coochbehar

15. Hydrocotyl ranunculoides, Solanum niagrum,
Zero tillage had considerably reduced weed pressure, however, it caused shifting of weed flora from
Polygonum and
Stellaria media to
Hydrocotyl ranunculoides, Solanum niagrum,
New species of Polygonum (?)
Ageratum conyzoides
Stellaria acquatica 15

16. DISEASE SCENARIO
Zonate Eye Spot
Spot Blotch 16

17. Development of system approach adopting conservation measure :
- Zero tillage sowing for all the crops
- Introduction of medium duration paddy varieties ( 130 days)
- Direct seeded rice based on weather forecasting
- Unpuddled transplanted rice – through manually / transportation
- Inclusion of legume in crop rotation / mix cropping during prekharif / rabi
season
- Bio-priming of seeds / application of bio-fertilizers
- Crop residue management

18. ZT-Jute On Wheat Direct Seeded Rice with Brown Manuring ZT-cowpea
Efforts
Our
ZT-Maize
Residue
With
ZT-Jute On
Wheat
Zt-Wheat
Rice
Direct
Seeded
Rice with
Brown Manuring
ZT-cowpea
ZT-mung
Bio-priming

19. Problems and Opportunities
1.Soil constraints
i) Widespread deficiency of micronutrients (Zn and B)
ii) Low soil organic matter
iii) Acidic pH
iv) Sandy to sandy loam texture
v) Fragmented land
2.Use of low productive varieties
3.Imbalance in nutrient management
4.Disease incidence at epidemic level
5.Aggressive growth of weeds
Increase area under cultivation by converting fallow land into cropped area
Soil
crop residue management
green manuring through surface mulching
reduced or zero tillage
efficient utilization of nutrients (using bio-fertilizers)
Soil Health Assessment
Microbial Activity
Carbon pool assessment
Physico-chemical attributes
Disease
Study of disease dynamics
Biological management of residue
Weeds
Weed dynamics and shifting
Weed management
Varietal Development
Suited to ZT condition,
Boron deficiency tolerant
Late heat tolerant