ITC – MSK: Water Stewardship Programme:

With the objective of enhancing production of crops, Water Stewardship Programme was initiated in August 2015 in seven panchayats of karamadai block. Delineated in to twenty –nine(29) prioritised watershed, development activities were taken up in twenty four(24) watersheds since five(5) watersheds are in reserved forests area. The components, namely soil and moisture conservation, water resource development and afforestation were taken up. An impact study was carried out in the watersheds in 2018 by the TNAU and the methodologies, impacts and findings are presented below:

Impact Study Study Of The Effect Of Different Sources Of Mulching On Moisture Level At Various Depth In Coconut Trees (Cocos Mucifera).

Coconut and Banana occupies nearly half of the total cropped area in Karamadai block of Coimbatore district. To study the impact of mulching on moisture level. a demonstration was conducted in the fields of ten farmers in ten different locations. The treatment involved practices /technologies like mulching with the use of local materials like coconut husk, coir pith, fronds, green manuring. To measure moisture percentage, temperature of the soil and average rainfall of the surrounding areas, instruments like moisture meter, tensiometer and rain gauge were used. The details are furnished below

• Moisture meter- To measure moisture % at different soil depth.
• Tensiometer- To measure availability of water in the plant system.
• Rain gauge – To measure amount of rainfall received during the crop season.

Study Area

The study was carried out in the following villages – Devanapuram, Thekampatty, Kalampalayam, Maruthur, Tholampalayam. This research study was carried out for around 20- 25 days.

Major Constraints:

In Tamilnadu, some of the regions are ear marked for coconut cultivation and noted as Coconut belt. The areas are Pollachi, Erode, Coimbatore, Krishnagiri, parts of Dharmapuri and Thiruvannamalai, Eastern and Western part of the Tamilnadu. In coconut cultivation, the foremost constraint is water. It is estimated that each coconut tree needs 70-75 litres of water per day. Due to Insufficiency of water due to failure of monsoon rainfall since 2012, most of the coconut trees were wilting finally leading to death. One sample picture taken from a farmer field has been enclosed. (This Picture was taken from Karamadai block where the treatments were not imposed (Control plot). In coconut cultivation, the second major constraint is Pest and Diseases. Among the pest- Rhinoceros beetle and in diseases, Coconut wilt are the major problems in coconut. In order to control this,it is recommended to use Traps and follow organic and inorganic methods in an Integrated manner such as use of Pheromone, Light and sticky traps and Coconut Tonic are the effective control measures.

Selection Criteria:

• Selection was made by considering the uniform aged trees.
• Selection also made by involving different soil types to obtain average value for recommendation.

Review Of Literature:

The research works done on Coconut palm with reference to soil and moisture conservation is given below:Soil moisture is essential for the absorption of nutrients by roots. Moisture stress leads to stunted growth, drooping of leaves, immature nut falls and decreased yield. The research works done on coconut at Coconut Research station, TNAU, Veppankulam on the management of drought suggests the following:

• Husk burial for moisture conservation
• Burying of fresh or dried coconut husk around the basins
• Coconut husks (100 nos.) with convex surface facing upwards
• Burying dried coconut leaves (15 nos.)
• Application of coir pith to a height of 10 cm

Adopt any one of the practice in the basins of 1.8 m radius around the palms as mulch for moisture conservation, particularly during summer season (Agri-portal- Horticulture, December, 2014). The details of the farmers, location, survey number and treatment are furnished in the table-1.

S.No	Farmers name	Village	S.F No	No of Trees	No of Treatments
1	Sathish	Devanapuram		20	4
2	Nanthagopal	Kalampalayam	111/2A	20	4
3	Sathish	Cooranur	247/3	20	4
4	Pattulingam	Cooranur	223/2A	20	4
5	Kurunthachallam	Devanapuram	219/1	20	4
6	Sutha	Mannal pudhur	316/1	20	4
7	Vasanthi	Rangarajapuram	130/1	20	4
8	Rangasamy	Jothipuram	117/1	20	4
9	Krishnasamy	Medur	85	20	4
10	Susila	Seeliyur	212/1B	20	4

Results & Discussion - Summary Of Moisture Measurement Data.

The moisture measurement data obtained from 25th July, 2017 to 8thAugust, 2017 is furnished in Table: 2 The moisture measurement was done in the Treatment plots viz., Coconut husk, Coir pith and coconut fronds in comparison with control (No mulch). It was clearly evident that the percentage of moisture in the treatment plots were comparatively more compared to Control.

Date	Husk	Coir pith	Fronds	Control
25.7.2017	62.9	62.9	61.2	58.6
26.7.2017	62.4	62.1	60.5	57.3
27.7.2017	62.0	61.4	59.9	55.7
28.7.2017	61.5	60.8	59.3	54.1
29.7.2017	61.0	60.1	58.7	52.3
30.7.2017	59.1	59.1	56.8	49.6
31.7.2017	56.7	57.9	54.9	46.6
01.8.2017	53.6	56.2	52.6	43.7
02.8.2017	51.2	54.7	50.1	40.4
03.8.2017	47.2	52.5	47.6	37.1
04.8.2017	41.3	50.0	45.0	33.8
05.8.2017	38.6	47.2	42.4	30.4
06.8.2017	35.9	44.4	39.9	27.4
07.8.2017	34.5	42.0	37.5	24.2
08.8.2017	33.2	39.9	35.1	21.4

The moisture percentage taken at 5, 10 and 15 cm depth in various mulching treatments which is average of 10 different locations is furnished in Table: 3

Date	Husk	Coir pith	Fronds	Control
25.7.2017	63.5	63.8	62.8	62.1
26.7.2017	64.3	64.4	63.4	63.1
27.7.2017	64.9	65.0	64.3	63.9
28.7.2017	65.6	65.7	65.1	63.9
29.7.2017	66.3	66.3	65.6	62.8
30.7.2017	64.6	64.6	63.7	60.6
31.7.2017	63.5	63.5	61.7	57.8
01.8.2017	63.0	62.7	59.2	55.1
02.8.2017	62.5	61.9	57.2	52.1
03.8.2017	61.9	61.0	54.7	49.1
04.8.2017	60.9	59.6	52.6	46.2
05.8.2017	59.1	58	50.4	43.2
06.8.2017	54.6	55.1	48.0	40.0
07.8.2017	52.3	52.8	45.7	36.8
08.8.2017	47.5	48.6	43.5	33.7

Results

The following are the results obtained through the Study based on statistical and mean value • Among the different mulching materials used in Coconut farms, Coir pith is found to be ideal and hold high moisture percentage • Coconut husk and coconut fronds also hold high moisture compared to control • Control plot recorded low moisture percentage irrespectively from all the locations • By adopting drip irrigation, it is possible to reduce water wastage by 45-50 percentage and by using Coir pith as mulching in coconut garden, it is possible to reduce the water wastage by 12-14 per cent.

Conclusion Of The Study On Impact Of Mulching

The study clearly indicated that among the different mulching materials, Coir pith is the suitable one for Coconut gardens when compared to coconut husk and fronds. Hence by adopting both drip irrigation and coir pith mulching measures, 62-69% of irrigation water can be saved effectively compared to normal method of surface irrigation in Coconut.

Studies On The Effect Of Mulching And Drip Irrigation As Demand Management Strategies To Combat Climate Change In Karamadai Block Of Coimbatore District

Improving water use efficiency is an ongoing goal in agricultural production, especially in Tamil Nadu, where water resources are limited. It was observed that the water supplies are limited and the demand for water among various sectors is ever increasing due to climate change, urbanization and industrialization. Agriculture is the major water user of about 70 per cent, with industrial sector demand is about 20 per cent and domestic sector is about 10 per cent. Future projections by various researchers indicate that the supplies to agriculture sector may reduce and hence there is a push to use less water in agriculture. To address the above issues, the farmers are searching for new ways to reduce the water demands. Mulching is one cultural practice which can be used to addresses this problem. Covering the ground with mulch saves water by preventing surface evaporation. The layer can also greatly reduce or eliminate weed propagation, which will also result in higher water use efficiency. Using certain agricultural byproducts as mulch is a sustainable practice which can reduce water use and provide other benefits as well. In areas where coconut is grown in a large area, coconut husk, coir pith and coconut fronds are fairly abundant byproducts. Many farmers already generate these mulching materials, and currently spend resources to dispose of them. Mulching using this waste is a cost effective practice which would conserve water, moderate soil temperature, reduce waste, and improve the soil. Considering the fact that each of these mulches is widely available, ITC & COODU demonstrated the mulching technologies by way of conducting FFS (Farmers field school) in ten coconut grown farmers’ fields and in ten different locations in Karamadai block of Coimbatore district under the ITC- MSK, water stewardship program to create awareness among the farming community to overcome the problems of water scarcity during summer months (March to May). The treatment involves practices /technologies like mulching with the use of local materials like coconut husk, coir pith and fronds. The demonstration was conducted to determine which of these low cost organic mulches functions best at conserving soil moisture. The information generated by this demonstration can help farmers to choose the material that will best suit their mulching needs. In addition, the report also deals with an alternate method of adoption of drip irrigation for coconut as a demand management strategy to overcome the water scarcity situation in the study area. The study was taken up with the following objectives:

Objectives:

1.To analyze the occurrence and distribution of rainfall in the study area. 2. To estimate the water available and to study the water scarcity situation in the study area. 3. To study the extent of area under crops in the study area. 4. To study the impact of mulching materials on soil moisture retention pattern and 5. To study the impact of drip irrigation on water use efficiency for Coconut. Duration: 15 days (25.07.2017 to 08.08.2017)

Review Of Literature

Major constraints faced by farmers in the Karamadai block are declining water resources and increasing surface water evaporation over the years. Even though the Government, Corporate and other NGO agencies adopt the integrated watershed management programme to tackle the water scarce situation, majority of the works taken up are supply driven for e.g water resources development in the watershed and there are very little focus on the management practices which maximize water use efficiency in those programmes. Applying organic mulches is one cultural practice which can help this goal. Evaporation from the soil surface significantly affects crop water use efficiency. Surface evaporation accounts for 25-50 per cent of total evapotranspiration (Liu et al., 2002; Hu et al., 1995). Mulching with production byproducts such as wheat straw increases water retention and prevents soil evaporation this also ensures a more even moisture distribution throughout the soil profile, which further improves water use. Organic mulches also improve water use efficiency indirectly. As the mulch decomposes, humus is added to the soil, which increases its water holding capacity (Unger, 1974). A mulch layer prevents weed seedling growth by inhibiting light penetration to the soil surface (Ossom et al., 2001). Lower weed prevalence significantly improves water use efficiency. Abeywardena (1979) reported that a two-fold increase in coconut production could be possible by irrigating the palms during drought. He showed that a single dose of 373 liters of water applied weekly increased the nut yields by 25 to 30 per cent and copra yields by 54 per cent. Similarly, the yield of nuts has increased considerably in irrigation trials conducted in India (Nair, 1979). Nelliat (1968) reported that irrigation also accelerated the growth and early bearing of young palms grown in sandy soils. In India it was reported that the average yields of tall palms under rainfed conditions (60 nuts/palm/year) could be increased to 90- 110 nuts/palm/year by irrigation (Iyer et. al. , 1979). According to Nelliat (1968) irrigation of young palms twice a week with 22.5 litres of water per irrigation is the normal practice in India. Nelliat also showed' that more frequent irrigation with a lesser amount is advantageous for optimum utilization of water in sandy soils. Further, Thampan (1975) recorded that four year old palms grown in sandy loam soils required 20 litres of water every four days to maintain a satisfactory growth. The response of coconut to combined effect of micro irrigation and mulching were studied under littoral sandy soil at the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasaragod, during non-rainy seasons with West Coast Tall variety. Pooled data on nut yield for six years (1993-99) showed no significant difference among drip irrigation treatments at 66 per cent, 100 per cent and 133 per cent of evaporation and between the drip and basin irrigation treatment (at 200 litre once in 4 days). All irrigated treatments were on a par with each other but were superior to the rainfed control. The highest nut yield was observed in the drip irrigated treatment at 100 per cent of Eo and was on par with the treatment drip irrigation with 66 per cent of Eo, 133 per cent of Eo (67.2 nuts) and basin irrigation (66.3 nuts).

Materials And Methods

Study Area

The study was carried out in the Devanapuram, Thekampatty, Kalampalayam, Marudur, and Tholampalayam villages of Karamadai block. Karamadai block is one of the block in Coimbatore District of Tamil Nadu State, India. It is located 32 km towards North from Coimbatore (Fig.1). Karamadai Block is bounded by Annur block towards east, Periyanayakkanpalayam block towards south, Coonoor block towards west, Kotagiri block towards north. The total geographical area of the block is 645454 ha and the area is drained by the Bhavaniriver. The normal annual rainfall of the block is about 892 mm spread over in four seasons. Majority of the rainfall is occurring in North East monsoon. The percentage distribution of soil in the study area is categorized as forest soil (40%), followed by red non- calcareous soil(40%) and red non-calcareous soil(15%). The infiltration rate of the red calcareous soil is found to range from 1.32 cm/hour to 9 cm/hour which influence the activity of mulching for soil moisture retention to overcome the crop water deficit. Major crops grown in the study area include Arecanut, Coconut, Banana, Groundnut, Pulses and Vegetables. Out of the total cropped area of 14005 ha, Banana and Coconut alone contribute to 35 per cent of the cropped area which are taken as highly water consuming crops. The water requirement of Banana crop is 1000 to 1200 mm and Coconut crop is 55 to 120 litres/ plant. The surface water resources for the irrigation are exploited by more than 90 per cent and the farmers are left with only option of extracting groundwater during stages of water scarcity. The groundwater development in the Karamadai is in the category of semi critical wherein 70-90 per cent and further extraction should be regulated to avoid over exploitation in the area.

Demonstration Details

The demonstration was conducted ten coconut farmers field in various locations in Karamadai block of Coimbatore district. The villages covered in the study area are Devanapuram, Thekampatty, Kalampalayam, Maruthur and Tholampalayam. The study was carried around fifteen days. Three mulch treatments and one bare soil treatment (control), replicated in ten farmers’ fields (Table 1). The treatments were three different mulch types: Coconut husk, Coir pith and Coconut fronds.

Mulches

The by-products of coconut viz., coir pith, coconut husk and coconut frond were collected from the farm and applied over the ground surface as a mulch viz., burying of dried coconut husks (100 nos) with convex surface facing upwards, application of coir pith to a height of 10 cm and spreading of coconut fronds over the surface.

Soil

Soil was collected from the field at a depth of 10 -30cm. The soil type was red non calcareous soil. Soil moisture percentage was monitored daily in all the ten locations at various depths viz., 5 cm, 10 cm and 15 cm for a period of fifteen days continuously. The soil moisture was measured using the moisture meter. The soil moisture percentage was analyzed for various mulch materials at surface and at various depths.

Data Collection

• Rainfall data for the Karamadai block was collected and analyzed over years from PWD, GoTN • Groundwater table data was collected and analyzed for Karamadai block from PWD, GoTN • Type of crops cultivated in the study area from Department of Statistics, GoTN.

Results And Discussion

Due to the vagaries of monsoon, the water resources in the study area are declining with more than 90 per cent of the surface water are being utilized and 70 to 90 per cent of the available groundwater are being already utilized. There is a growing concern among the farmers to adopt integrated water resources management technologies to overcome the water scarcity situation.

Rainfall Analysis And Water Resources

Rainfall analysis for the study area from 2007 to 2017 revealed that the normal annual rainfall is about 604 mm. Among the years under consideration, about five years are having less than the normal annual rainfall. Particularly during the year 2016, the annual rainfall is 215 mm with more than 60 per cent deficit rainfall, the succeeding year 2017 annual rainfall is also under deficit conditions leading to the declining groundwater resources in the region (Fig.2 ). The season wise distribution of rainfall revealed that majority of the rainfall is occurring in north east monsoon (51%), followed by summer (29%), south west monsoon(15%) and remaining in the winter season(5%)(Fig.4 ). Further, the number of rainy days in the study area is in a declining trend and highly fluctuating from 16 to 41 days for the last six years. The year, 2016 is the worst affected with the failure of monsoon and limited groundwater recharge, the farmers are extracting the groundwater from already depleting groundwater aquifers for the crop water demands.

Extent Of Area Under Crops And Crop Diversification In The Study Area

Latest data of area under different crops in the Karamadai block reveal that out of the total cropped area of 14005 ha, about 9629 ha(69%) of the crops are under irrigated condition and remaining area of 4376 ha(31 %) is under rainfed condition. Banana and Coconut occupies an area of 36% of the total cropped area and the crops are considered as high water consuming crops in the block. Further analysis of the cropped area during 2008 - 2009 revealed that the area under cropping was about 15535 ha and hence there was a reduction of 1030 ha of cropped area but, the area under irrigated crops is about 8985 ha(58%) during 2008-2009, an increase in irrigated area of 11per cent was observed during 2015-16. This situation of increased irrigated area is mainly due to the adoption of drip irrigation practice for various crops in the study area. The area under Coconut crop increased from 1646 ha in 2008-2009 to 1845 ha during 2015-2016 mainly due to the adoption of drip irrigation for Coconut. But, there was a reduction in the Banana area of about 265 ha from 2008-2009 to 2015-16. Coconut being a perennial crop is now facing the wrath of failure of monsoons during 2016 and 2017. This alarming situation of water scarcity led to coconut palms getting dried up for want of sufficient water (Plate.2). This necessitated the need for demand management strategies like mulching and drip irrigation for coconut to overcome the water scarce situation.

Impact Of Mulching Materials On Soil Moisture Retention

The soil moisture measurements were taken by the moisture meter from 25 th July, 2017 to 8 th August, 2017 in all the ten farmers’ field with various Mulching technologies (Table. 2). The moisture measurement was done in the treatment plots viz., coconut husk, coir pith and coconut fronds in comparison with control (No mulch). All mulch types were equally effective at reducing soil evaporation and it was clearly evident that the soil moisture is high in all the treatments except control. Further, it was ascertained that the moisture retention pattern of all the mulching materials is really good compared to the control as the percentage reduction in moisture over a period of 15 days is about 20.9 per cent in coir pith, 25.7 per cent in fronds, 29.7 per cent in husk and 37.2 per cent in control. It was also observed that the average daily reduction in soil moisture is about 2.5 per cent in control, 1.4 per cent in coir pith, 1.7 per cent in fronds and 2 per cent in husk. At the beginning of the study, in the initial three days when the soil was fully saturated the mulch layer of at least 5 cm reduced surface evaporation to 40 per cent compared to the water losses from bare soil. The moisture percentage taken at 5, 10 and 15 cm depth in various mulching treatments in ten different locations also indicate the better performance by the coir pith mulching in controlling the soil moisture evaporation. The study clearly demonstrated that the coir pith is the suitable mulching material for coconut in controlling the soil moisture evaporation. Further, it is also reported that mulch thickness also had an effect on the rate of water loss, doubling the mulching thickness from 5cm to 10 cm maintained soil moisture 10 per cent higher throughout.

Impact Of Drip Irrigation On Water Use Efficiency For Coconut

Good irrigation practices are needed to sustain productivity. The efficacy can be increased by mulching the irrigated area and its favourable effect on soil temperature regulation, soil moisture conservation and soil temperature reduction have been established. The drip irrigation system is observed to be economical and cost effective as compared with conventional surface irrigation. As a result, the use of drip irrigation system either alone or in combination with mulching, could increase the nut yield up to an extent of 50 per cent over surface irrigation method. Compared to basin irrigation systems, drip irrigation can substantially improve water use efficiency (WUE) by minimizing evaporative loss of water and maximizing capture of in-season rainfall by the soil profile.

Conclusion

The study clearly demonstrates that what might otherwise be agricultural waste can be used to significantly conserve soil moisture, providing more resources for crops and reducing overall costs of production. It was understood that even a relatively thin layer of plant debris can conserve a considerable amount of water, especially right after irrigation. Within the first 3 days, bare soil lost half of the moisture content, whereas soil covered with mulch layer of 5 cm lost only 20 per cent. That extra 30per cent would considerably improve the irrigation efficiency. Furthermore, the moisture is the soil is at a much lower tension, so it is much more easily absorbed by the crop. Although these materials are permeable, a thick layer isn’t necessary in order for the mulch to function. A thick enough layer still reduces the amount of sunlight hitting the soil. The mulch also maintains the humidity right at the soil surface, and prevents airflow which keeps the moisture in the soil. All three mulching materials performed equally well, but coir pith is in the advantageous position over the husk and fronds compared to the soil moisture retention over different depths. This small change in practices, with no major change in costs, could easily lead to considerable savings in water and improved plant growth. Improving soil tilth, structure and water holding capacity is necessary to ensure continued cropping success. It was also reported that the drip irrigation practice will have water savings of about 30 to 35 per cent, increase the yield of nuts and improved water use efficiency.