Seeing the Potential Progress

As part of the Ganges Reflection Workshop a 25 members team including scientists and professionals of

CPWF Ganges BDC Projects G1-G5 from Bangladesh and India, scientists and interns from WorldFish visited three polders of Ganges field sites on March 24-28, 2012. 4 days long trip has covered the polder 43/2/F (Amtali, Barguna), Polder 30 (Batiaghata, Khulna) and Polder 3 (Kaligonj, Satkhira).

On the way to Barisal on March 24, 2012 the team has visited the CSISA-Bangladesh project in Babugonj, Barisal and saw their activities there. They have ended up their first day trip by visiting nutrient management and water saving (AWD) demonstration activities of IRRI and maize cultivation by tradition and conservation agriculture of CIMMYT. On the second day the team visited Ganges project G2 experimental site in polder 43/2F and observed the performance of high yielding varieties (HYV) of rice including stress tolerant (salinity tolerant) HYVs and the performance of the most popular HYV rice variety, BRRI dhan28 at different period of crop establishment. The team members were observed the performance of different rabi crops (maize, sunflower, sesame, mungbean, chilli and watermelon) under mulched and unmulched condition. Despite of prolonged cold in 2011-12 boro/rabi season, growth and development of all crops were satisfactory except low germination of sesame crop. After the field visit, the participants had a discussion with the neighboring farmers on the performance of different rice varieties and rabi crops and their acceptability in that area. The farmers informed that they usually cultivate lowyielding traditional rice varieties in the wet season and some farmers grow traditional grass pea as a relay crop in the rabi season. Most of the land remains fallow in boro/rabi season. They expressed their satisfaction seeing prospects of growing different crops in the boro/rabi season in their locality, highly impressed to observe the performance of some improved rice varieties and sunflower. At the same day, the team members visited the laboratory and research fields of Agronomy department of the Patuakhali Science and Technology University (PSTU) and discussed on research collaboration with the professors of the university and selected research sites of two PhD scholars (CSISA-BD and CPWF G2 funded scholars).

On third day, the team has travelled to Khulna and visited G2 research site in polder 30. This site is characterized by medium to high salinity area, more hazardous than that of polder 43/2F. The performance of rice and rabi crop was not as satisfactory as they observed in polder 43/2F due to higher salinity in both soil and water in this polder than that in polder 43/2F. Even excess soil moisture constrained timely establishment of rabi crops (sesame and mungbean) in this polder area. Cold injury in rice was prominent in this site in early establishment (10 November) of rice crop. Early establishment of rice is necessary to combat water salinity and shortage of irrigation water. The team has visited WFC-managed fish culture in cages and CIMMYT-managed rabi crop establishment in dibbling and by normal plowing methods of CSISA-Bangladesh project. They also visited waterlogged areas and the CPWF innovation funded research site in polder 30 and discussed with the farmers how to improve drainage to adopt HYV rice in the wet season for higher productivity and to establish rabi crops (sesame, mungbean) early enough (early crop establishment will lead to early harvest) to reduce risk of crop damage due to rainfall at the later stage of crop growth. The team has visited the most salinity affected areas of Satkhira district and observed the shrimp production areas of the district on 4th day of the trip. They have observed shrimp culture at two sites where (1) year-round aquaculture and (2) shrimp-rice cropping patterns are being tested. Improved shrimp gher management (water depth and stocking density) were demonstrated at both locations for higher productivity and income in the dry season and how to improve rice-fish productivity in the following wet season after shrimp harvest. They also visited seed production and salinity tolerant rice variety evaluation sites of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI). After a 4 day trip the team return back to Dhaka on March 28, 2012