Report

on
Cazri
(Central Arid Zone Research Institute)

Submitted By:-
Sunil Kansara
CAZRI (Central Arid Zone Research Institute)
Central Arid Zone Research Institute was established in 1959 under Indian Council of
Agricultural Research, New Delhi. Central Arid Zone Research Institute CAZRI operates
through 7 Divisions, located at the headquarters in Jodhpur. The Main Aim of Central
Arid Zone Research Institute is to act as repository of information on the state of natural
resources and desertification process and its control, in the form of digital database.
The arid zone of India covers about 12% of the country’s geographical area and
occupies over 31.7 m ha of hot desert and about 7 m ha is under cold desert. The
production and life support systems in the hot regions are constrained by low and erratic
precipitation (100-420 mm/year), high evapotranspiration (1500-2000 mm/year), and
poor soil physical and fertility conditions. The local inhabitants have evolved suitable
landuse and management systems of farming, pastoralism and animal husbandry; of late,
these local survival systems have become inadequate to fulfill the ever increasing needs.

This has resulted in over-exploitation of the resources causing rapid and widespread land
degradation and decline in productivity.
To arrest this degradation process and for scientific and sustainable management of the
resources Desert Afforestation Station was established in 1952 at Jodhpur. This was later
expanded into Desert Afforestation and Soil Conservation Station in 1957, and finally
upgraded to Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI) in 1959 under Indian Council
of Agricultural Research, New Delhi. The CAZRI operates through 8 Divisions, located
at the headquarters in Jodhpur. There are four Regional Research Stations located in
different agroclimatic zones to work on location-specific problems.
ACHIEVEMENTS

Natural Resource Surveys

Integrated survey of natural resources including land forms, soils, flora, fauna, surface
and ground water, present landuse and land degradation status have been undertaken
using the concept of Major Land Resource Units
(JLRUs). Burried courses of river in the desert were
mapped using satellite imagery, confirmed through
geophysical depth soundings and successfully used
for ground water exploration.
Based on satellite imagery, maps of processes
leading to desertification and common property
resources (PCRs) have been developed.

Desertification
The extent of soil movement under different
land use systems has been qualified. Soil
movement due to barren surface and high wind
velocity is a mojor problem. Technologies to
minimize sand movement through establishment
of shelter belt and technologies for dune
stabilization have been developed.

Water Management
For efficient rainwater harvest through roof surfaces, constructed catchments and for
storage technologies like Khadin, nadis, tankas, anicuts, have been refined and
developed.
 Since soils are sandy
and water retention is
poor, water is rapidly
lost either as
evaporation or deep
drainage. For holistic
management of water the concepts of watershed management for areas having single
integrated drainage system and index catchment for areas lacking single drainage system
have been developed.

Soil Management
The arid region is endowed
with minerals that are being
increasingly exploited and a
trail of waste land is left.
Technologies integrating
suitable speciess, soil
amendments and water harvesting, for rehabilitation of
gypsum and limestone mined lands have been developed.

Crop Production
Technologies for sustainable crop production under rainfed conditions have been
developed. Improved varieties of pearl millet, clusterbean, moth bean and horsegram
developed at the Institute have been released for large scale plantation. Paired and triplet
planting as well as intercroppings consistently given higher yields during low rainfall
years.
Interplot and in-plot rain water
harvesting and adoption of soil
moisture conservations measures
have increased the crop yields.
Benefits of high soil fertility in ameliorating the adverse effects of moisture and salinity
stress have been established and contributions of legumes in improving the soil fertility
and contribution of BNF in improvement of yields of legumes have been quantified.
In the desert most of the urea applied is lost due to volatilization. A simple cost effective
technology involving sulphur mixed urea that increases the efficiency of urea from 20-
45% has been successfully developed.

Alternate Land Use Systems

Technologies for various land use systems like agroforestry, agrihorticulture,
hortipastoral and silvipastoral systems have been developed. Adoption of ley farming
involving cultivation of crops in rotation with grasses has improved the soil physico-
chemical properties and crop yields. Management practices and productivity of range
lands in different agroclimatic zones have been developed and their carrying capacity
quantified.

Arid Horticulture
In the arid region there is plenty of scope for cultivation of fruit trees. Technique for
propagation of ber through budding of improved varieties like Gola, Seb and Mundia on
local root stock has made major impact in the arid and semi-arid regions.
A large number of varieties, like Jalore seedless of pomegrante,
Dhara Road and Faizabadi local of
bael, kanchan and Krishna of
anola, have been identified that can
be successfully raised even on
marginal lands with certain conser-vation measures.
Due to technologies developed to raise improved varieties
and better management practices the area under orchard is continuously on the rise.
Techniques for extraction and processing of juice/pulp of fruits like ber, bael,
pmegranate, aonla, etc., have been standardized.

Livestock Management
Livestock are an important source of sustenance of farmers particularly during low
rainfall year when crop yields are too low to be of any economic significance. The time
of first calving and the inter-calving period has been reduced through proper management
in cattle. Marwari and Magra breeds of sheep have been identified to be suitable for the
desert tracts as these breeds can sustain if watered twice a week without any adverse
effects on body weight. Parbatsar, a new breed of goat has been identified. This breed has
higher growth rate, milk yield and duration of lactation. A technique of ensiling surplus
fodder, using over-fermented milk, urea and molases has been developed. Digestibility of
high tannin containing feed has been improved by soaking the feed in 1% aqueous
solution of sodium carbonate. A balance concentrate of mineral mixture has been
developed that hastens the body weight gain, milk and wool yield in sheep and milk yield
in cattle.

Renewable Energy Resources

In the arid regions there is plenty of solar energy available to meet the human energy
needs both in urban and rural areas. Various types of solar cookers to cook food and feed,
water heaters and distillation plants have been designed and developed. Dryers to
dehydrate agriculture produce are getting popular as the produce retains its colour,
flavour and the texture. Similarly wax melter and candle making machine is also getting
popular. To make these devices versatile and multipurpose devices are being developed.
Solar PV panel have been successfully used to supply power to run TV, light, fan,
pesticide sprayer and to operate drip irrigation system.

Socio-economic Aspects

The socio-economic viability of the technologies developed were evaluated and surveys
on the socio-economic aspects of the desert dwellers under taken. The cost benefit
analysis of various land use systems revealed that pasture based live stock system have
positive net present value and annuity as compared to arable farming. Thus farmers need
to be encouraged to adopt the live stock based farming system.

Extension Activities
Side by side with its research efforts, CAZRI has been able, through its extension and
training activities to reach a large number of farmers and concerned state government
officials with information of on new desert development technologies.