| Author | Bidha, Gyem |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.AS-07-16 |
| Subject(s) | Legumes--Bhutan
|
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in
Agricultural Systems & Engineering, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. AS-07-16 |
| Abstract | Soil fertility is a critical issue to the farmers especially where agriculture is the main source of income. The objective of the research was to assess the contribution of legumes in farming systems in Punakha district, Bhutan, and to identify and recommend measures for using legumes for improving and maintaining soil fertility. Legume cultivation is at .a small scale. Farmers' preference for cereals mainly hampers its legume cultivation. Financial affordability and labor availability are important for promoting legume cultivation. Therefore awareness creation through agricultural extension programs appeared to be a dire need. Farmers realize that Soil fertility management (SFM) issues are important for good crop yield, but the assessment of soil fertility is based on observational approach due to inaccessibility to scientific methods. High dependency on rain water, insufficient water for irrigation, decreasing number of livestock and shortage of labor are the major constrain to SFM. Present SFM practices are inadequate to sustain the soil fertility and crop productivity, which demand the adoption of integrated nutrient management (INM). Farmers demonstrated that green manuring and composting' are not practiced due to labor shortage. Four selected cropping patterns included pea, bean, soybean and maize. Soil N was low in all cropping patterns, while, bean soils were relatively higher in fertility. Chemical analysis of the soils showed that nutrient and fertility status was better in Talo than Limbukha. The contributing factors are higher soil organic matter (SOM), available P and K, while others remained low in both geogs. This requires the adoption of proper soil and crop management practices. |
| Year | 2007 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. AS-07-16 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (Former title: Department of Food Agriculture, and BioResources (DFAB)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Agricultural and Aquatic Systems (AS) |
| Chairperson(s) | Ranamukhaarachchi, S L; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Shivakoti, Ganesh P.;Clemente, Roberto S.; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | AUSTRIA; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2007 |