The crop production technologies and new high yielding improved varieties developed by the university have helped increasing agril. production. For spread of the high yielding crop varieties, university produces and supplied every year about 6500 to 7,000 quintals seeds of improved varieties of rice, millets and pulses to the farming community. This has helped to double the food grain production without increase in crop area and also increased the crop productivity 4-5 times.The rice hybrids developed by the university have yield potential of 6-7 tonnes per ha. The spread of these hybrids would significantly increase the rice production in the near future.The oil seed production in the Konkan region was very meager. However, due to availability of the crop varieties and the production technologies in non traditional crops like mustard and groundnut, oilseed production has increased. The productivity of the ground nut in the konkan region is high as compared to the other parts of the Maharashtra and the area under groundnut is increasing in irrigation command areas.
Availability of production technology and rice varieties for problem soils such as Kharlands, ill drained (Manat) soils and water logged (Shel) area gave made possible to bring this area under cultivation and increase production.
The Konkan region has made significant head way in horticultural production due to availability of production technologies and new crop varieties. The area under mango and cashew, which are foreign exchange earning crops has been increased by 8-9 times during the last two decades. The area under horticultural fruit crops before 1970 was just 32000 ha which increased by manifold and is now 4.25 lakh ha. The production of these major horticultural crops is also increased by 2-3 times. This has become possible due to varieties and large scale availability of elite planting material of fruits crop to the tune of 20-21 lakh grafts/saplings every year. This has strengthened the economy of the region.
Due to availability of the easy, rapid and low cost propagation techniques in horticultural fruit and spice crops and training of youths have revolutionized horticultural nursery activities in the Konkan region. As a result, a large number of nurseries have been developed and are producing grafts of horticultural crops in big way. This has no doubt increased the employment opportunities to the youths but also strengthened the economy of the Konkan region.
Use of the paclobutrazol a growth retardant for early and regular flowering in Alphonso mango has helped increasing production.
The mango blossom protection schedule prepared by the university has been very effective and has helped farmers to control pest and diseases of the mango crop. Similarly, the university designed and supplied 39435 pheromone traps (Rakshak) to the farmers for control of fruit fly.
On research recommendation of the university, the Govt. of Maharashtra has included tree spices as intercrop in coconut and arecanut orchards on 100% subsidy under EGS.
Read more: https://dbskkv.org/Research/Impact_of_Research.html
