5 advanced methods of Windrow technique for organic manure

Windrow technique Nowadays, most of the farmers harvest the crop with the help of a harvester, due to which the remains of the crop remain in the field. Then the farmers are forced to burn these residues. Due to this, poison dissolves in our environment in the form of smoke. The friendly insects found in the soil are also destroyed. This also has a bad effect on the fertility of the land. Today, government, non-governmental organizations and individuals are finding ways to deal with the problem of stubble in the country. Do you know that manure can also be made from crop residue?

The Biomass Utilization Unit of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute ie IARI Pusa New Delhi has developed the windrow technology for making organic manure. Compost can be made in five ways in this technique. These methods will give high quality organic fertilizers at low cost. Regarding this, Farmers of India had a special conversation with Dr. Shivdhar Mishra, Coordinator and Chief Scientist of IARI Biomass Utilization Unit.

What is Windrow Technology? 

Dr. Shivdhar Mishra told that windrow technology is proving very useful at all levels. Farmers can make organic fertilizers from agricultural residues of paddy, soyabean, cowpea, maize, jowar, millet, along with peels of fruits and vegetables, leaves and flowers of orchards etc.

According to Dr. Shivdhar Mishra, compost manure can be made on a large scale in a short time with windrow technology. He told that first of all a heap of crop residues is made. This type of pile is called ‘windrow’. Its height and width can be kept 2 to 2.5 meters. The length can vary from 10 to 100 meters or even more depending on the available space. Mixing organic culture in these heaps, keeping proper amount of moisture, it is turned from time to time by machine. In this process all the substances are mixed equally. Air circulation takes place in many. In this way, in three to four rotations, the best organic fertilizer is prepared in 3 to 9 weeks.

IARI developed 5 composting methods 

Five types of fertilizers are prepared by this technology:

1) Crop Residue Composting: In this, compost is prepared by mixing the residues of several crops together or different crops.

2) Crop residue and cow dung manure: This manure is prepared by mixing cow dung and crop residue in different proportions. The residue of paddy, wheat and other crops like cotton, pigeon pea, etc. is reduced to 8 to 10 cm by shredder machine. A mixture of 80% crop residue and 20% fresh cow dung is made.

3) In the third method, manure is made from cow dung and leftover fodder.

4) The manure prepared by the fourth method is called enriched manure. In this technique, both crop residue and cow dung manure are used for making manure. In this compost, the quantity of nutrients which has to be increased, is added to the pile. For example, to increase the amount of phosphorus, rock phosphate is used to prepare phospho compost.

5) In this method compost is made from the leaves. In this, manure is made from the leaves of trees and plants and small twigs obtained from pruning. This type of manure is better for nursery and potted plants.

Manure making method with windrow technique 

According to Dr. Shivdhar Mishra, in windrow technique, the first turning is done immediately after adding the garbage and crop residues. Then after 10 days do the second turn. Third after 25 days, fourth after 40 days and fifth after 55-60 days. The number of turns may be more or less depending on the residue used. Sprinkling of water on the piles is also necessary from time to time. Along with this, keep correcting the size of the windrows.

Dr. Shivdhar Mishra told that farmers can easily prepare organic fertilizers at their home with windrow technique. Farmers can produce bountiful crops by composting through windrow composting for less money than they spend on purchasing DAP, SSP and Urea. With this, the availability of nutrients along with good soil quality will remain for a long time. Windrow composting is also effective in saline and alkaline soils, whereas DAPs do not work in such soils.

In our traditional farming, earlier garbage, cow dung, excreta of milch animals and other vegetable wastes were collected and made into manure. It contained all the nutrients required by the plants. In this way, the natural fertile power of the soil was maintained by the use of organic manure. Due to this, the crops used to get continuous yield. The cost to the farmers was also less. Along with better crop yield, organic fertilizers are very beneficial for farmers from the point of view of increasing soil fertility and low cost.