[Stoves] Off Topic: Raised Bed Agriculture for Sunderbans

[adkarve]

There are two tricks in using saline water for irrigation of plants. One is
to use salt tolerant plants and the second is not to allow the salinity in
the root zone to rise beyond the tolerance limit of the plants. Therefore
dig a trench on the ground next to the sea shore. The trench should start at
a high level and run downhill till it reaches the sea. Fill the trench with
sand and plant salt tolerant plants in the trench. Coconut, Casuarina,
spinach, and Salvadora oleoides are some of them. You may test some other
species found growing near the coast in your own country. All mangrove
plants can tolerate salinity. When irrigating these plants, water is
introduced at the highest level of the trench and continue to irrigate till
the water starts flowing out of the trench. This procedure may be repeated
every second day. The excess water, coming out of the lower end of the
trench, would flow back into the sea. Sea water contains all the mineral
elements that a plant needs, except for phosphate. Therefore apply super
phosphate to the plants. If the salinity of the water is moderate, with
about 2% salt in it, one can even grow wheat, cotton or sugarbeet by this
method. One can also make use of raised beds, made of sand for this type of
cultivation, but trenches are easier to make and to maintain.
Yours
A.D.Karve

----- Original Message -----
From: <acparker at xmission.com>
To: Discussion of biomass cooking stoves <stoves at listserv.repp.org>
Sent: Friday, September 07, 2007 8:58 PM
Subject: [Stoves] Off Topic: Raised Bed Agriculture for Sunderbans


> Dr. Karve and Mr. Chaudhury,
>
> I am interested in knowing more about raised bed agriculture as applied
> to brackish mangrove estuaries.  I am working with a population in Cross
> River State, Nigeria, that is being permanently relocated to seasonal
> fishing camps on low lying mangrove islands.  Being now cut off from
> their high ground farms and gardens, I am concerned that they will be
> unable to maintain a balanced diet when they have no money to purchase
> supplemental food.
>
>
> Thank you,
>
> Andrew Parker
>
>
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