Buckwheat cultivation potentially enhance cropping intensity and income security of low input hill agro-ecologies under climate change

Abstract

Standardisation and intensification of diversified climate resilient farming systems having crops with increased climate stress resilience for more adaptability under fragile hill agro-ecologies of low population states of Eastern Himalaya Region (EHR) is need of the hour. Buckwheat, one of the forgotten and underutilised crop with year round cultivation prospects harbouring inherent stress adaptive mechanisms to overcome prevailing low moisture stress cum low pH soil induced low nutrient environments of hill slopes, is emerging as one of ideal crop for increasing cropping intensity and food security of hill inhabitants of EHR. Development and promotion of scientific cultivation practices with adoption of proper time of sowing between October to mid-December at mid-hills of Ribhoi district, April-May months in East Khasi hills, Garo hills and Jaintia hills of Meghalaya is paramount for achieving economic yield to the tune of 1.5–1.80 t/ha wherever the crop is suitable to cultivate anytime of the year for higher green biomass (1.26–3.84 t/ha). Enhanced low moisture stress tolerance ability and pronounced rhizosphere acidification with exudation of low molecular weight organic acids like oxalic acid by cultivated buckwheat cultivars under low phosphorus (P) conditions of acid soil has increased solubilisation of fixed forms of P vis a vis for enriching the soil with desirable root microbiome make the crop more productive under marginal hill environments of EHR. Some cultivars, viz. IC377275, IC26591, IC14890, IC37288 and Himpriya shown promising yields of 1.89 t/ha, 1.71 t/ha, 1.63 t/ha, 1.55 t/ha, 1.53 t/ha, respectively with adoption of scientific cultivation packages in hill slopes. Holistic understanding of interactive effects of acid soil and moisture deficit stress and strengthening of further crop improvement of robust crops like buckwheat could aid in enhancing food security and cropping intensity in EHR.