Late sowing

 

CONTINGENCY PLANNING FOR CONTINUOUS RAINFALL AFTER MONSOON ONSET

Contingency planning during continuous rainfall after the onset of monsoon—especially in vulnerable regions like the Bundelkhand agro-climatic zone of Madhya Pradesh—is crucial to prevent waterlogging, crop damage, seedling mortality, and nutrient loss.

Contingency plans for up to ~30 July

Sowing of even earlier maturing varieties becomes critical; emphasis shifts toward very short-duration jowar hybrids, and pulses suitable under late rainfall scenarios.

Very short-duration, fast-maturing jowar hybrids, pulses..Heavy soils still allow paddy.

 

CONTINGENCY MEASURES

 

Land Preparation & Field Management

• Ensure proper drainage before sowing:
• Use broad-bed and furrow (BBF) system in black soils.
• Create furrows between crop rows to drain excess water.
• Open field bunds at intervals to let excess rainwater out.
• Avoid deep ploughing during saturated conditions—wait for soil to settle.

Crop Planning & Sowing Adjustments

If sowing was not done before heavy rain:

Situation	Recommendation
Field saturated, sowing pending	Wait till surface dries enough for seed to not rot
Sown crop lost to waterlogging	Re-sow with short-duration pulses or oilseeds (e.g. urad, moong, sesame)
Standing crop waterlogged	Open drainage furrows; consider planting on ridges in future

 

Crop Selection

Choose:

• Short-duration, waterlogging-tolerant varieties of:
• Urad (T-9, IPU 94-1)
• Sesame (JT 21, TKG 22)
• Jowar/Bajra hybrids
• Consider intercropping (e.g. maize + cowpea or  pigeon pea) to reduce total risk.

Nutrient Management

• Continuous rain leaches nitrogen (N); apply split N doses.
• Foliar spray of urea (2%) or DAP (2%) can help weak crops recover.
• Avoid heavy basal application when heavy rain is forecast.

Pest and Disease Monitoring

• Watch for:
• Damping-off in seedlings
• Root rot, collar rot, leaf blight
• Use preventive fungicides (e.g., Trichoderma, Carbendazim for seed treatment)
• Improve aeration by inter-row hoeing once rain stops

Livelihood & Fodder Planning

• Ensure fodder availability if crop loss is expected:
• Plant fast-growing fodder: sorghum (MP Chari), maize, cowpea
• Use bunds and fallow areas for fodder crops
•  

Case-Specific Advice

• Use intercropping systems like:
• Pigeon pea + urad/moong
• Pigeon pea + Jowar
• Maize
• In extremely wet fields, delay sowing and focus on nursery raising (for vegetables or rice) in raised beds.