Transforming the postrainy sorghum production systems for enhanced productivity Include Partner Logos, if any ABSTRACT: Postrainy sorghum is a major food and fodder crop in south central India particularly in the dry lands but the productivity of the crop was very low (~600 kg/ha). Terminal drought, non-adoption of improved cultivars and management practices, poor market access were the main reasons behind low-productivity. Therefore we developed interventions to address these issues and implemented them successfully in six clusters of major postrainy sorghum growing regions in Maharashtra state of India and achieved ~40% higher yields sustainably by working with >40000 farmers directly. INTRODUCTION Postrainy sorghum is a major food and fodder crop in the Deccan Plateau of India particularly in the dry lands of Maharashtra, Karnataka and other states. The crop is grown purely on residual moisture on black soils and land races are cultivar options as farmers prefer the superior grain and stover quality of postrainy sorghum. However the productivity of the crop is low (~600 kg/ha). There is no value addition to grain and market access is limited. To change this situation, in a partnership effort led by ICRISAT, large-scale dissemination on in-situ moisture conservation and adoption of improved crop cultivars and cultivation practices was carried out to increase the awareness among farmers. Seed chain was strengthened in ensure continuous availability of improved varieties seed. RESULTS Photoperiod-sensitive, cold tolerant genotypes are highly suited for postrainy season (Fig 2). Large scale dissemination involving a range of partners resulted in significant benefits. In seven years, partnership efforts reached 300,000 farmers in Maharashtra through direct and indirect interventions. These efforts led to significant increase in PR sorghum grain productivity by 39% and stover productivity by 30% (Fig 3). The early adoption studies results indicated that our interventions enhanced technology adoption rates, reduced the yield gaps (by 30-65%), increased the productivity and gave higher returns to farmers (35-44%) for postrainy sorghum farmers. Women participation was given high priority in all project interventions particularly in seed production, crop management and value addition to grain and stover and marketing. With this the adoption rates in project areas are >70% and productivity in Maharashtra increased to >800 kg/ha. Improved hybrids (>30 % yield gain) were developed and being tested in multilocation trails for commercialization. The seed technology was perfected for producing the hybrids in off-season. Fig 2 Genotypic responses to photoperiod and temperature Fig 3 Proud farmers displaying their produce Acknowledgements - We thank the funding support by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) for carrying out this work DISCUSSIONS Adoption of improved cultivars, management practices and value addition have profound effect on PR sorghum productivity and profitability Sustainability of seed system key for thriving the productivity gains Hybrids have good prospect for enhancing PR sorghum productivity and fertility restoration and high seed set % under low temperature is the key Development of plant types amenable for mechanical harvesting is critical Increasing adoption rates and value addition will transform the PR sorghum production systems MATERIALS AND METHODS Six clusters in Maharashtra Sanpuri (District: Parbhani), Limbaganesh (Dist. Beed) and Wakulni (Dist. Jalna) in Marathwada area and Hivare Bazar (Dist. Ahmednagar), Borkarwadi (Dist. Pune) and Aurad (Dist. Solapur) under Western Maharashtra region were selected for technology dissemination considering the large area under postrainy season sorghum in these clusters (Fig 1). To improve the crop productivity, large-scale dissemination on in-situ moisture conservation and adoption of improved crop cultivars and cultivation practices was carried out to increase the awareness among farmers. Seed of improved varieties adapted to target regions Parbhani Moti, Parbhani Jyoti, Phule Vasudha, Phule Chitra and Akola Kranti was distributed for cultivation in ~10,000 farmers’ fields in the target areas every year for five years and trained them in seed production, cleaning and grading the seed for increasing their value. Farmers were encouraged to sell the graded produce to organized markets to get higher price. REFERENCES Krishnamurthy Lakshmanan, Elango Dinakaran, Are Ashok Kumar and Belum Venkata Subba Reddy. 2014. Field Technique and Traits to Assess Reproductive Stage Cold Tolerance in Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]. Plant Prod. Sci. 17(3): 218-227. Nagaraj N, Bantilan MCS, Ashok Kumar A, Sharma Rajan and Anusha R. 2013. Technological and Institutional Interventions in enhancing Productivity of dry land cereals: Some empirical evidences from the ICRISAT-HOPE Project in SAT India. Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics. Ind. Jn.of Agri.Econ. Vol 68, No 3, July-Sept. 2013. Pp 313-325. Reddy BVS, Ashok Kumar A, Sharma HC, Sharma R and Patil JV. 2012. Postrainy season sorghum: Constraints and breeding approaches. Journal of SAT Agricultural Research 10. Fig 1. Targeted postrainy sorghum areas in Maharashtra state of India 1. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, Hyderabad 502 324, Telangana, India 2. Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV), Rahuri, 413 705, Maharashtra, India 3. Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani, 431 402, Maharashtra, India (* Corresponding Author, E-mail: a.ashokkumar@cgiar.org) A Ashok Kumar1*, Belum VS Reddy1, Sharad R. Gadakh2, Uttam Chavan2 and HV Kalpande3, Ambika More3, RL Aundhekar3 and ST Borikar1 A global alliance for improving food security, nutrition and economic growth for the world’s most vulnerable poor