Introduction

Agronomy division was initially established as Agronomy Farm in as an integral part inside Putali Bagaincha at Singh Durbar 1952 (2009 B.S.) periphery in order to develop improved varieties of different field crops and their suitable agronomical package of practices. Later on, the farm was transferred to Khumaltar in 1965 (2022 B.S.) as an Agronomy Farm which later on emerged as Agronomy Division. In the past, this division worked as the parental body of different commodity crop programs such as rice, wheat, maize, grain legumes, oilseeds, hill crops, sugarcane and tobacco along with cropping system and production programs. Then, different crop commodity program centers (rice, maize, wheat, jute, sugarcane, cotton, oilseeds, were established in different agro-climatic locations of the country in the year 1972 (2029 B. S.). With the establishment of Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) and National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), the mandate and objectives of the division has been revised recently. Currently, the division is involved in agronomical research in different crops, and also, collaborates with crop commodity research programs for testing of location specific technologies for the mid-hills of Nepal.

Geography, Soil Types and Climate

This division is located at an altitude of 1360m above mean sea level on 270 40' N latitude and 850 20' E longitudes. This division has nearly 8.5 hectare cultivated land. The soil type ranges from loam to clay loam and the soil pH ranges 5.5 to 6.5.

Objective

• To help develop national policy, guidelines and priority for agronomical research in different crops.
• To develop agronomical technologies, generate viable cropping systems and collaborate with crop commodity programs for testing technologies for the recommendation domain of mid hill regimes.
• To conduct and lead the research on weed science research in various crops including weed survey, identification, distribution and weed control research regimes in different crops.
• To take a lead role in lentil and soybean research for the mid-hills of Nepal
• To verify agronomical technologies developed under its command areas in collaboration with farmers, public (DOA/DLS) and private partners in rice and maize-based cropping systems.
• To carryout tillage and soil conservation research in various crops.
• To produce source seeds (Foundation seed) of rice, wheat, lentil, and soybean crop varieties.
• To organize training, visits and field days in collaboration with the concerned public and private partners.
  

Research Strategies

• Overall norms of agronomic research and/or allocation of resources in different types of agronomical research in Agronomy Division as well as in different Commodity Research Programs on fields crops will be gradually oriented towards three different categories of research as follows:
  
  - Basic Agronomic Research - 20 percent
  - Applied Agronomic Research - 50 percent
  - Adaptive Agronomic Research on rice and maize-based cropping systems - 30 percent

• Basic agriculture research projects will be developed for on station research in areas like tillage and soil conservation, residual moisture conservation, dry farming, etc.
• Applied research will be focused on multiple cropping systems under rice and maize based cropping systems, crop rotation, crops diversification systems, weed management, rain-fed agriculture and agro-forestry research.
• Adaptive collaborative research on resource conservation technologies, technology verification research in various crops, will be done through outreach research sites of the country along with other disciplinary divisions of NARC to strongly support their ultimate validation, adoption, promotion and mass dissemination among the farmers at large.

Current Research Activities

• Carry out agronomical research in different crops
• Collaborate with the commodity crop research programs in variety testing.
• Crop science research under rice and maize based cropping systems.
• Take a lead role in weed survey, identification, distribution and weed control research in different crops.
• Take a lead role in lentil, soybean and blackgram research for the mid-hills of the country.
• Tillage and soil conservation research.
• On-farm verification of technologies in collaboration with farmers, extension experts of DOA/DLS and NGOs.
• Foundation seed production of different varieties of rice, wheat, soybean and lentil.

Research Areas Ahead

• Dry farming / rain-fed agriculture.
• Water harvesting technologies.
• Residual moisture conservation and utilization.

Some Achievements

• Continuous on-station and on-farm research support provided to different crop commodities for their variety trials that led to release their improved varieties for the mid-hills of Nepal.
• Maize+ Soybean - Mustard has shown the maximum net economic return, but from production point of view, Maize+Soybean - Wheat system found the best under upland condition.
• Under low land conditions, Rice - Potato system has been found to be the best combination.
• Green manuring with 50 days old Sesbania (Sesbania cannabinus or Dhaincha) increased rice yield equivalent to 100 kg N/ha applied through chemical fertilizers.
• 50 days old Dhaincha adds around 10 t/ha of biomass to soil and contains 3.9% N, 0.8% P2O5 and 0.9% K2O
• Recommendation of herbicides in different crops:
  - Transplanted rice: Butachlor (granules) @ 20 kg/ha, 2-3 days after transplanting
  - Direct seeded rice: Butachlor @ 2-3 1/ha in direct seeded rice, 2-3 days after transplanting
  - Wheat: 2,4-D Nasalt kg /ha, 30-35 days after seeding (DAS), or, 2,4-D Nasalt kg /ha @ 0.5 kg/ha + Isoproturan @ 1 lit/ha, 30-35 DAS
  - Soybean: Lasso @ 2-3 l/ha, 2-3 days after seeding
  - Peanut: Lasso @ 2-3 l/ha, 2-3 days after sowing
  - Fingermillet: Butachlor @ 1.5-2.0 l/ha 2-3 days after transplanting

Researchers

• Dr. Jagat Devi Ranjit, Senior Scientist (Chief)
• Mr. Nawal Kishore Yadav, Senior Scientist
• Mrs. Dayamani Gautam, Scientist
• Mrs. Reshma Neupane, Technical Officer
• Mr. Bal Krishna Shrestha, Technical Officer
• Mr. Sharad Bajracharya, Technical Officer
• Mr. Devi Ram Kandel, Technical Officer
  

Contact Address

Agronomy Division
Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC)
Khumaltar, Lalitpur
P.O.Box 404, Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel: (+977-1) 5- 521 169 Fax: (+977-1) 5-527 695
Email: agronomy @narc.gov.np
Website: http://www.narc.org.np