Dear farming brothers and sisters, autumn greetings to you all. Hemanta, the late-autumn season, is a poetic chapter in the Bengali cycle of seasons. As in culture and tradition, in farming too Hemanta brings a dreamy, busy season. The fields of Bengal are fragrant with golden paddy, and farmers are absorbed in cutting, threshing, winnowing and drying the crop to fill their granaries. At the same time the work needed for winter crops must begin now. Here are the tasks for the month of Kartik.

Preparations for sowing wheat should start in the second half of Kartik. Wheat does well in loam soil. For higher yields, sow modern varieties such as Ananda, Barkat, Kanchan, Sourav, Gourab, Shatabdi, Sufi, Bijoy, BARI Gom-27 and BARI Gom-28. Treat the seed with an approved fungicide before sowing. Sow 16 kg of seed per bigha for irrigated wheat and 13 kg per bigha for rain-fed wheat. Apply all fertilisers except urea at the final ploughing, and top-dress urea in three instalments. The first irrigation is needed 13-21 days after sowing; two more irrigations at 30-35-day intervals give a very good yield.

This is the right time to plant sugarcane seedlings in well-prepared land. Keep 90-120 cm between rows and 60 cm between seedlings. Planted this way, 2,200-2,500 seedlings are needed per bigha.

If you want to grow maize, prepare now, get the land ready and sow. Improved varieties include BARI Bhutta-6, BARI Bhutta-7, BARI Hybrid Bhutta-7, BARI Hybrid Bhutta-8, BARI Hybrid Bhutta-9, BARI Hybrid Bhutta-10 and BARI Hybrid Bhutta-11.

Kartik is also the right time for mustard. Common varieties include Tori-7, Rai-5, Kalyania, Sonali, Sampad, BARI Sarisha-6, BARI Sarisha-7 and BARI Sarisha-8. Seed rates vary slightly by variety, but on average 1-1.5 kg of mustard seed is needed per bigha. Each bigha needs 33-37 kg of urea, 22-24 kg of TSP, 11-13 kg of MoP, 20-24 kg of gypsum and 1 kg of zinc fertiliser. Besides mustard, other oilseeds such as sesame, linseed, groundnut and sunflower can be grown now.

This month is the time to prepare land and plant potatoes. Light, sandy loam soil suits potatoes well. Suitable seed-potato varieties for a good yield include Diamond, Multa, Cardinal, Patrones, Heera, Morene, Origo, Ailsa, Cleopatra, Granola, Binella and Kufri Sundari. The guide gives the seed requirement as 200-2,700 kg of seed potato per bigha.

One bigha of potatoes needs 45 kg of urea, 30 kg of TSP, 33 kg of MoP, 20 kg of gypsum and 2 kg of zinc fertiliser, though the amounts may vary with the land. Applying 1.5 tonnes of organic manure per bigha gives a much higher yield. Weeding, irrigation, top-dressing, loosening the soil or earthing up the ridges, pest control and mulching are essential. Doing all of these on time cuts costs and raises yields.

Sweet potatoes yield well in silty riverside land and sandy loam. Tripti, Kamala Sundari and Daulatpuri are modern varieties. Each bigha needs 750-800 vine cuttings with three nodes, plus 1.5 tonnes of cow dung or organic manure, 5 kg of urea, 15 kg of TSP and 20 kg of MoP. With the same care as potatoes, you will get the yield you want.

Pulses are called the poor man's protein, and special attention should be given to growing them to make up the protein shortfall. Lentil, mung bean, black gram, grass pea, cowpea (felon), pigeon pea, soybean, chickpea and other pulses can be grown now. Choose suitable varieties, sow on time, apply balanced fertiliser and take care of irrigation and pest management. The government is providing farm loans on easy terms to increase pulse production.

Now is the time to grow winter vegetables. As soon as possible, sow seed in seedbeds to raise seedlings of improved local and foreign cauliflower, cabbage, kohlrabi, turnip, bok choy, tomato and aubergine. If you raised seedlings last month, transplant them to the main field now, then weed, fertilise, irrigate and drain as needed. Red amaranth, radish greens, carrot and pea can also be sown at this time.

Source: Staff Correspondent. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.