ICAR-Indian Institute of Water Management, Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar organized an awareness-cum-training programme on ‘Balanced Use of Fertilizer in Agriculture’on the afternoon of 2nd June2026 at Village: Gadasanput, Halmet: Pradhan Sahee Block: Kanas, District: Puri, Odisha. Thirty-five farmers, including 31 farm women, participated in the programme. Sri Radha Syam Biswal, progressive farmer and village leader of GP: Gadasanaput, chaired the awareness programme. Dr. B.S. Satapathy, and Dr. Ranabir Chakraborty participated as resource persons. Rice, greengram, blackgram, groundnut, and vegetables are the dominant crops in the village, mostly grown under rainfed conditions. Dr. B. S. Satapathy, during the interaction, clarified the importance of different soil and water conservation methods, such as planting on broad beds, mulching, and irrigation in furrows in vegetable cultivation for higher water use efficiency and farm income. He emphasized that the use of organic manures can increase resource-use efficiency and farm production under vegetable production systems and pointed out different sources of plant nutrients, such as green manuring, green leaf manuring, well-decomposed cow dung, FYM, enriched compost, vermicompost, biofertilizers, and alternative fertilizers for sustainable crop production in rice-based cropping systems based on soil test results. A demonstration of seed treatment using biofertilizers like Rhizobium in greengram and Azotobacter in paddy was conducted by Dr. R. Chakraborty. Different cultural practices like seed treatment, weed management, and integrated nutrient management in rice under both direct seeding and transplanting were explained to the farmers. Improved package of practices such as quality seeds of high yielding varieties, seed treatment with bio stimulants, optimum plant population and need based water and pest management for enhancing productivity of groundnut and rice was discussed. Villagers pointed out the importance of kitchen garden in their village for livelihood security. Sixty guava and mango saplings were distributed to the farmers for plantation in the village under homesteads.
