: 60-YO Farmer Helps Paddy, Sugarcane Grow on 400 Acres of Uncultivable Alkaline Land #IndiaNEWS #Lede M S Subrahmanyam Raju (60), a Hyderabad-based farmer is a graduate in Science and can perhaps be

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60-YO Farmer Helps Paddy, Sugarcane Grow on 400 Acres of Uncultivable Alkaline Land #IndiaNEWS #Lede
M S Subrahmanyam Raju (60), a Hyderabad-based farmer is a graduate in Science and can perhaps be best described as a passionate agriculturist constantly looking for newer methods of cultivation. Despite his decades of farming experience, it was only six years ago that he decided to completely shift to organic farming.
Raju tells The Better India about how he is now often called upon to share his expertise on transforming pH (potential of hydrogen) 8 or above (alkaline soil) into cultivable land. He has transformed several hundreds of acres of chowdu bhoomi (alkaline soil) over the last few years.
What is Chowdu Bhoomi or Alkaline Land?
M S Raju
Chowdu Bhoomi is land that does not absorb any water. The soil is stiff and compact and becomes hard because there is no penetration of water. The plants growing here grow short of nutrients and are often prone to diseases. This in turn can lead to low yields and dead plants. Having alkaline soil also means that the seeds do not germinate well. Such lands are in lakhs of acres in our country and in the state of Telangana.
Raju says, “Since the topsoil becomes hard, its infiltration capacity reduces considerably. This in turn leads to the rainwater stagnating on the soil easily and during dry days, cultivation is hardly possible without copious irrigated water and good drainage. � Since such soil is less soluble the chances of the soil absorbing nutrients, essential for plant growth, is drastically reduced. “We have many farmers who despite having large fields are unable to grow anything because their lands are alkaline in nature,� he says.
He explains further: “For the land to be considered viable for agriculture it is essential to have a pH (potential of hydrogen) value of 7. Anything that falls below or above (pH below 6 and above 8) makes the soil unviable for a majority of crop cultivation. For example, a pH level below 6 is suitable for specific crops like tea, berries etc. In my years of experimentation, I have successfully been able to convert land with a pH level of 4 to a pH level of 10 and neutralise the soil. �
“In calcareous soils (Calcium carbonate and calcium bicarbonate) pH will be high and cause more problems for root penetration than the normal alkaline soil. So, plants cannot grow healthy. I can correct such types of soils also through organic methods. �
Having spent six years experimenting on converting alkaline land into cultivable land, Raju has four years of on-ground experience in implementing these techniques.
To date, he has converted more than 400 acres of alkaline farm into cultivable land.
What’s His Secret?
Converting alkaline soil into cultivable soil.

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