Udhagamandalam
Background
Central soil and water conservation research, demonstration and training Centre, Udhagamandalam was established in October, 1954 by the Central Soil Conservation Board, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Government of India, New Delhi. In 1967, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) took over this centre along with seven other centre’s and subsequently brought under the control of the Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute (CSWCRTI), Dehra Dun in 1975.
This Centre caters to the needs of Soil and Water Conservation and Watershed management in the high rainfall hilly regions of the Southern India covering an area of 2,11,500 sq. km representing nearly 62 percent of the red soil region of India. The Centre represents Agro- Ecological Region No.19, characterized with hot humid per humid eco region with red, lateritic and alluvium derived soils.
Mandate
- To find out suitable remedial measures for checking accelerated erosion and conserve Soil and Water in the high rainfall hilly regions of the Southern India in order to obtain higher yields on sustained basis from unit area in unit time without affecting soil fertility.
- Evaluation of hydrological behavior and management of watersheds for reducing sediment discharges, so as to protect the reservoirs and lakes from siltation and improving water regimes.
- Evaluation and identification of suitable plant materials for different land uses as per the land capability classification.
- Development of suitable technology for increasing production from eroded and degraded lands.
- Monitoring of changes in environment as effected by land use and management practices.
- Development of techniques for rainfed farming and efficient water management.
- Protective measures for communication systems, roads, etc. from landslides.
- Introduction and evaluation of agri-horticulture, silvi-pasture farm forestry and other agro-forestry systems.
- To establish ecological balance in the Southern hills.
- To impart specialized training in Soil and Water Conservation to Graduate Assistant trainees from different states and officials deputed from other countries apart from running. Short Courses on specialized topics for Officers and Assistants.
- Demonstration of the package of practices in Soil and Water Conservation for improving production in farmer's fields.
SCIENTISTS
Infrastructure
This Centre has good laboratories and experimental research farm for conducting research, demonstration and training. This centre organizes regular training programmes as well as short courses quite frequently as per specific demands of the states, NGOs and other organizations from time to time. Over the last 50 years the research centre has built up excellent facilities for conducting research and training.
This centre is also equipped with hydrological devices like Lysimeter, automatic stage level recorders, H-Flumes, Coshocton silt samplers, multi-slot devisors and number of gauging stations (runoff plot, field plots, micro-watershed and small watersheds) for measuring runoff, soil loss and nutrient loss under different situations in the region.
Central Laboratory
Well-equipped laboratory with instrument room, sample processing room at the centre is catering the needs of all types of soil and water sample analysis.
The lab has advanced instruments like Atomic absorption spectrophotometer, Spectrophotometer, Pressure plate apparatus, N-Digestion and Distillation System etc.
Library
The Centre has its own separate library to cater to the needs of professionals engaged in soil and water conservation as well as watershed programme.
This library has 3021 books covering various aspects of natural resource management.
Exhibition hall
The exhibition hall covers an area of 85 sq. in the main office building. The research findings, achievements, activities of the research centre are displayed in the form of photographs, data tables and graphs/maps on panels.
Distinguished dignitaries, scientists, farmers, students, etc., are visiting regularly.
Cartography & Survey Lab
The Centre has a full-fledged cartography cell with modern instruments and survey lab equipped with all type of survey instruments to meet the requirements of the different research projects and training programmes.
Computer and Communication Cell
There is a centralized computer facility with 10 Pentium computers connected by terminal LAN for the purpose of research and data analysis.
It is also equipped with Geographic Information System and other components like A-3 & A-4 Scanners; plotter and laser printers, internet facilities etc. All the computers in the office are connected through Local Area Network (LAN)
Trainees Hostel
The centre has well-furnished trainees hostel with 28, dining hall and entertainment hall to accommodate trainees of different types of training programmes.
Conference Hall
The centre is having a full-fledged conference hall to accommodate 50 numbers of participants.
Audio-visual aids like Slide projector, Over Head Projector, LCD, VCD player, and Video, digital, and other cameras are also available.
Research
Major Research Achievements
- Inward sloping bench terraces for the Nilgiris with 2.5 percent inward slope, longitudinal gradient of 1 percent and riser slope of: 0.5:1 or 1:1 resulted in substantial reduction in soil loss and runoff ranging from 44.3 to 71.2 percent and from 21.3 to 63.8 percent respectively in comparison with the steeply outward sloping terraces which are commonly prevalent in the Nilgiris. Considerable improvement ranging from 66 to 84 percent was observed in the yield of crops like potato, carrot and broccoli grown in newly formed inward sloping terraces when compared with that obtained before the execution of the works.
Inward sloping bench terraces
Bench terrace riser stabilization with tea
- Technology on “Economic utilization of bench terrace risers with tea and other perennial crop” has been developed which resulted in increased additional area available for cultivation to the tune of 4 to 14% depending on the slopes in terraced fields. It also minimizes the risk by crop diversification, effective utilization of leached nutrients from the bench, stabilization of terrace riser, and effective utilization of family labour. An additional average yield of 5.84, 43.9 and 5.9 t/ha/year for green tea leaf, geranium and cineraria respectively from riser area of one ha terraced land.
- Developed Puertorican type of terrace with Tripsacumlaxum, geranium and Hybrid Napier as vegetative barriers which costs only one sixth of cost of traditional method of bench terracing and it resulted in 15 to 25% increase in yield of potato compared to the sloping lands besides reduction in runoff and soil loss.
Puertorican terrace with Tripsacumlaxum
Mixed Vegetative Barrier
- Developed technology on mixed vegetative barrier of pineapple and Guatemala grass in plantation crop which reduced runoff (52 %) and soil loss (32%) in 25% slope land and produced an additional return from pineapple.
- To reduce runoff and soil loss from young tea plantation, this centre has developed Contour staggered trenching (CST) with cover crop of beans technology in new tea plantation which not only reduced the runoff (51%) and soil loss (64% but also increased tea leaf yield by 37 percent.
CST+ beans in new tea plantation
INM in Brussels sprout
- Integrated nutrient management practices for export oriented vegetables like Broccoli, Brussels sprout and Lettuce were standardized. Four options encompassing the different components of Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) viz., 1. FYM @ 15.0 t/ha/year, BF –Bio-fertilizers - Phosphobacteria and Azospirillium each @ 37.5 kg/ha/crop, lime @ 5 t/ha/year and CRR -Crop Residue Recycling, 2. NPK @ 75 % of the recommended dose, FYM @ 3 t/ha/year and BF, lime and CRR, 3.NPK @ 50 % of the recommended dose, FYM @ 6 t/ha/year and BF, lime and CRR and 4. NPK @ 25 % of the recommended dose, FYM @ 9 t/ha/year and BF, lime and CRR were found to be superior with respect to soil health, crop yield, soil conservation efficiency and economics.
- Tillage and organic manure requirement of potato-carrot/cabbage crop rotations were optimized.
- Agro-forestry system with of Acacia melanaoxylon or Eucalyptus globulus with vegetable crops and Agri-hort involving plum and vegetable for high altitude of Nilgiris have been developed.
Conversion of natural grassland watershed into blue gum plantation resulted in significant reduction in water yield (16 and 25.4% during I and II rotations respectively). Average annual reductions in base flow during the first and second rotations were 15 and 27 per cent respectively. The result of this study led to the policy decision by the district authorities in banning on planting of exotic species in the entire Nilgiris.- Soil erosion map of Tamil Nadu and Kerala developed by this centre shows that for Tamil Nadu annual soil loss works out to the tune of 6.44 t/ha/yr. Distribution of soil erosion classes reveals that maximum area (51.12 %) is under < 5 t/ha/yr followed by the classes 5 10 t/ha/yr (30.01 %), 10 15 t/ha/yr (10.50%), 15 20 t/ha/yr (4.43%), 20 40 t/ha/yr (3.79%) and > 40 t/ha/yr (0.15%). For Kerala, annual soil loss works out to the tune of 4.803 t/ha/yr. Distribution of soil erosion classes reveals that maximum area (55.53 %) is under < 5 t/ha/yr followed by the classes 5 10 t/ha/yr (30.58 %), 10 15 t/ha/yr ( 9.03%), 15 20 t/ha/yr (2.47%), 20 40 t/ha/yr (2.32%) and > 40 t/ha/yr (0.06%).
- Soil loss tolerance limit (SLTL) map prepared by this centre indicates that majority of area (83.2 %) fall under the category of 12.5 t/ha per year SLTL in the State of Kerala. Nearly 14.7 per cent area of the state shows the SLTL as 10.0 t/ha per year and a small portion (2.1 %) belongs to the category of 7.5 t/ha per year. Around 30 per cent area in Tamil Nadu has 12.5 t/ha as the annual soil loss tolerance limit followed by 27.5 per cent area with 10.0 t/ha, 25.3 per cent area with 7.5 t/ha, 8.0 per cent area with 2.5 t/ha as SLTL per annum.
- Zonation of Western and Eastern Ghats was done by this centre based on elevation, rainfall, soils, land use and vegetation, wherein the entire Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats areas were classified into five and eleven hydro-ecological Regions respectively.
- Status report in coastal areas has been prepared which shows that major portion of the coastal belt (75 per cent), potential soil loss through water has been estimated to be less than 5 t.ha-1year-1. However, many pockets in the west coast, particularly in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa and Kerala suffer very heavy soil loss (>40 t.ha-1year-1).
- Technology on Sub-surface water harvesting by use of diaphragm ponds for hilly region resulted in increased availability of water for supplemental irrigation.
- Asphalt application (3mm thickness) was found to be a good sealant material for seepage reduction from dug out ponds which resulted in water saving of 14.81lit/sq.m/day over the control.
- Causes of landslides in the Nilgiris were identified and suggested suitable rehabilitation measures to control landslides.
- Digitalis, Geranium and Rosemary were found to be the good options with regards to better soil and water conservation and economical values.
- Developed technologies on recharge tube well for enhancing ground water recharge in hard rock areas.
- For better establishment of fruit crops in degraded dry land, the centre has developed a technology for micro-site improvement which involves digging of 1 m3 pit and filling the pits with sieved soil, tank silt and farm yard manure @ 30 kg per pit. In addition to these, application of neem cake @ 200 grams and bio fertilizers viz., azospirillium, phosphobacteria and VAM @ 50 gm per pit is recommended.
- Institutional constraints in watershed project implementation have been studied and suitable measures to overcome the same were suggested.
- Constraints faced in the transfer of SWC technologies and their adoption by the field extension staff of various line departments and farmers were studied and appropriate remedial measures to overcome the same were suggested.
- The Centre has developed live models on participatory integrated watershed management on farmer’s field. Salaiyur(513 ha) and Ayalur(782 ha) watersheds in semi-arid region and Iduhatti(715 ha)in high rainfall area are the living examples of sustainable development and rural transformation in the region.
Research
| Project title | Project Team | Starting | Ending | Funding agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment of variability and trend of climatic parameters at various time scales in different regions of India | S. Manivannan | 2022-23 | 2027-28 | Core project of IISWC |
| Erosion productivity relationships for evaluating vulnerability and resiliency of soils under different agro-climatic regions of India | K. Kannan P. Raja S.M.Vanitha |
2009-10 | 2024-25 | Core project of IISWC |
| Carbon sequestration potential of prevailing and recommended land uses in reclaimed degraded ecosystems under different agro-ecological regions of India | S. Manivannan K .Kannan |
2019-20 | 2023-24 | Core project of IISWC |
| Re-composting of spent mushroom biomass for soil quality improvement and crop productivity enhancement | S.K. Annepu K. Kannan P. Raja P. Sundarambal S.M. Vanitha |
2022-23 | 2024-25 | Institute |
| Effect of natural farming practices on resource conservation and productivity in different agro-ecological regions of India | K. Kannan P. Raja S.K. Annepu S.M. Vanita P. Sundarambal |
2022-23 | 2026-27 | Core project of IISWC |
| Microsite modification and soil and water conservation techniques for improving productivity of Melia dubia on degraded lands | H.C Hombegowda (08/22) S. Manivannan K. Kannan |
2019-20 | 2026-27 | Core project of IISWC |
| Impact assessment of database driven site-specific watershed management: A multi stakeholder analysis | S.M. Vanitha P. Sundarambal |
2021-22 | 2023-24 | Core project of IISWC |
| Women empowerment through watershed development programmes in different agro-ecological regions of India | P. Sundarambal | 2022-23 | 2024-25 | Inter institutional collaborative project |
| Facilitating implementation and evaluation of Gram Panchayat based composite water resources management plan for climate adaptation in Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu for its adaptability and sustainability | S. Manivannan S.M. Vanitha |
2022-23 | 2024-25 | Collaborative project with MSSRF |
| Demonstration of Agriculture Drone technology in different region of India under Agri-Drone Project | S.K. Annepu | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | Core project of IISWC (ICAR-ATARI, Ludhiana funded) |
Externally Funded projects
| Project title | Project Team | Starting | Ending | Funding agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study of atmospheric and soil carbon dioxide fluxes in temperate mountainous ecosystem of Western Ghats with reference to climate change impact assessment | K. Kannan S.K .Annepu |
2017-18 | 2022-23 | NRSC, ISRO (Phase-I concluded) |
| Partitioning of ET by modelling of water budgetting and assessment of CO2 flux over tea plantation in parts of temperate mountainous ecosystem in Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu | P. Raja K. Kannan S. Manivannan Coll: CWRDM, Calicut |
2021-22 | 2023-24 | NRSC, ISRO |
| Study of carbon footprint in agricultural land use system from the temperate and tropical ecosystem Western Ghats under climate change scenario | P. Raja K. Kannan S.K. Annepu Coll: CWRDM, Calicut |
2022-23 | 2024-25 | DST-CRG |
| Network project “Production systems agribusiness and institutions” Component 1: Impact of agricultural Technology; Impact of watershed management in different agro-ecological regions |
S.M. Vanitha P. Sundarambal |
2021-22 | 2024-25 | ICAR-NIAP funded |
Training
A trainee's hostel with 28 fully furnished rooms (area 640 m2), recreation Hall and common dining hall is available in the centre. Audio-visual aids like Slide projector, Over Head Projector, LCD, VCD player, and Video, digital, and other cameras are also available. The Centre has a good Conference Hall to accommodate about 50 participants.
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The centre conducts different types of capacity building programs. These include regular training courses for graduate assistants deputed by state governments and tailor made short courses of one to two weeks duration in the field of soil and water conservation, agro-forestry and watershed management sponsored by Central and State Governments, autonomous bodies and NGO’s. One to four month practical training programmers are also organized for undergraduate students deputed by various State Agricultural Universities.
Research Farm
The centre has a Research farm covers 80 ha of land with well-equipped infrastructural facilities for conducting the field experiments, demonstration plots and small watershed studies. These include a farm office and go downs, meteorological observatory, workshop, farm machineries farm ponds, annual cropped, tea and forest area. The details of research farm area is given below. Different shola species (natural forest trees) of Nilgiris and exotic tree species in the forest area of research farm provides good education in the area of forest of montane climate. The research farm has a nursery area of 0.61 ha and one glass house to preserve grass and medicinal species which have soil conservation and economic value. Three silt monitoring stations are constructed to monitor soil loss from well-maintained agricultural land, badly maintained agricultural land and from forest area. This research farm has number of Runoff tanks with multi slot devices to measure the run off. A small field lab with hot air over and balance helps in preparation of initial plant and soil samples.
Meteorological Observatory
Fully equipped meteorological station with all types of equipment/ instruments including automatic weather stations is available at the centre.
This is recognized by IMD, Pune as type IIB meteorological observatory.
Collaboration
Collaboration/Linkages
The Centre has strong linkages with State / Central Gov. Institutions / Departments and leading NGOs in the region, few of them are listed below:
| Collaboration with | Purpose |
|---|---|
| I. Local Institutions | |
| a. Educational Institutions Schools / Colleges in the Nilgiris District |
Internship, Exposure visits, organizing exhibitions, National Science Day etc. |
| b. Research Institutions 1. Horticultural Research Station (HRS), Udhagamandalam , 2. Central Potato Research Station (CPRS), Udhagamandalam , TIFR, Udhagamandalam 3. IARI, Regional station, Wellington, UPASI Tea Research Foundation, Coonoor 4. Forest Department, Udhagamandalam |
Purchase of inputs |
| Demonstration of different technologies | |
| Advisory services, related to soil and water conservation technologies. | |
| c. Extension and Development Agencies 1. SADP, Nilgiris, Departments of Agricultural Engineering Horticulture, Forestry, Animal husbandry department of Nilgiris and other districts, All India Radio, NAWA (NGO) MYRADA (NGO), RDO, Agriculture department and DWDAs of various districts of Tamil Nadu. |
Supplied grasses and cover crops used in soil conservation and soil health to the line department. |
| Advisory services and training to field level functionaries on soil conservation and watershed programme including evaluation studies. | |
| Advisory committee member for state level implementation committee - RVP Government of Tamil Nadu, Member in disaster management, non -conventional energy and farmers grievance meetings, Production and supply of seed potato | |
| Demonstration of centre’s technology. | |
| II. National Institutes and Agricultural Universities | |
| 1. ICAR institutes and SAUs from different states. 2. Tribal Research Centre 3. University of Gottingen, Germany |
Exposure visits and resource persons for training. |
| Data collection for research projects | |
| Summer practical training for B.Tech students. | |
| Resource person for training | |
| Internship programme for B.Sc. Forestry students. | |
| III. Government of India | |
| 1. National Remote Sensing Agency, ISRO. 2. Department of Bio Technology. 3. Department of Science & Technology |
Collaborative project on Study of atmospheric and soil carbon dioxide fluxes in temperate mountainous ecosystem of Western Ghats with reference to climate change. |
| Inter Institutional project on Establishment and promotion of suitable grasses for soil conservation and fodder production in Nilgiris. | |
| Inter Institutional project on Biochar for acid soil improvement and climatic change mitigation in temperate ecosystem. | |
| IV. Private Institution | |
| 1. Hindustan Unilever Limited | Consultancy project on “Advisory services for soil conservation measures while undertaking soil remediation process in mercury contaminated site in HUL, Kodaikanal.” |