Dr. M.A. Sobhan and Fahima Khatun Liza
There is significant natural variability of plants and animals in Delduar Upazila, Tangail district. Farmers have been growing varieties of crops based on topography of land and matching seasons. There are crops round the year either on the plains, high, medium, low lands or in the homestead areas. Men and women both contribute their best for maximum agricultural outputs. However, women play the key role of seed collection, drying, cleaning and preserving. The maintenance of seed wealth is ensured in the hands of the women. The farmer use organic manure for raising crops. The Nayakrish farmers grow season based crops. They grow different crops in rabi, kharif-1 and kharif-2 seasons. However, there are some varities of vegetables round the year.
Crops in the field in late March
Some crops of rabi season are being harvested and other crops of kharif-1 season being sown in Nanduria, Gorashin, Binduria, Nallapara, Goziyabari villages of Atia union and Mushuria village of Elashin union.
Wheat, grass pea, barley, water gourd, common bean (shim), sweet potato, onion and garlic are crops of rabi season. Among these crops, wheat, barley, grass pea and aniseed are at about the end of harvest. Common bean is there in the homestead area of the farmers at mature fruit stage. Onion, garlic, mustard, grass pea, lentil and tomato have already been harvested.
Crops of kharif-1 season
The major crops of kharif-1 season include sweet gourd, Brinjal, bitter gourd, snake gourd, chili, little cucumber, red amaranth, Indian spinach, sponge gourd, ash gourd, arum, okra, aus rice and jute.
Crops available round the year
The crops available round the year include brinjal, papaya, banana and lemon. These crops are mainly grown in the homestead areas and in the high land near the homestead. The farmers grow banana on raised land. They grow verities of banana including sobri kola, sagar kola and chapa kola. They also grow plantain. Banana is an annual crop. Banana is planted in the bangla month of Chaitra (March- April). Brinjal, chili, stem amaranth, sweet gourd and okra are grown as companion crop with banana plants in the inter-spaces. Now there are banana plants in bearing stages in the field. Some of the fruits have already been harvested.
Lemon plants are there now in the field in high land. The main verities of lemon are Elachi and Colombo. These are now in flowering and fruiting stages. The major harvest of lemon will begin after 20-25 days.
Climber vegetables like water gourd, sweet gourd, shim, ash gourd, sponge gourd, Indian spinach, snake gourd and ridge gourd are in most of the homestead area of the farmers. Seeds of these vegetables are sown near the houses. These are provided support with bamboo stick and branches of trees. Sometime these are allowed to climb on the house tops.
The Nayakrishi farmers maintain seeds in their own stores. They also maintain a portion of the seeds in the Nayakrishi Seed Akhra. They collect seed from the Seed Akhra in case of seed shortage from their own stock. The Nayakrishi farmers multiply the seed of this crops for cash income as well.
Sowing Transplanting and harvesting of crops:
Time of sowing/transplanting and harvesting of different crops in Nanduria, Garashin, Binduria, Nallapara, Gaziabari villages of Atia union and Mushuria Village of Elashin union are presented in the following table:
Table 1: Time of sowing/transplanting of different crops in 6 villages of Delduar Upazila, Tangail district
| Sl.No | Name of the crops | Time of sowing/transplanting | Time of harvest |
| 1 | Wheat | Second week of Kartik-first week of Agrahayan (Fourth Week of October – Fourth Week of November) | First week of Chaitra-Last week of Chaitra (Third week of March-Second Week of April) |
| 2 | Grass pea | First week of Kartik-second week of Kartik (Third Week of October-Fourth Week of October) | First week of Chaitra-second week of Chaitra (Third Week of March – Fourth Week of March) |
| 3 | Barley | First week of Kartik – Last week of Kartik (Third Week of October – Second Week of November) | First week of Chaitra – Second week of Chaitra (Third Week of March – Fourth week of March) |
| 4 | Sweet potato | First week of Kartik – Last week of Kartik (Third Week of October – Second Week of November) | Last week of Chaitra – Last week of Baishakh (Second Week of April – Second Week of May) |
| 5 | Brinjal | Third week of September-Last week of October | Last week of Magh- Last week of Chaitra (Second Week of February – Second Week of April) |
| 6 | Snake gourd | Second week of Magh – First week of Falgun (Fourth Week of January – Third Week of February) | Last week of Chaitra – Last Week of Jaistha (Second Week of April – Second Week of June) |
| 7 | Onion | First week of Kartik – Last week of Kartik (Third Week of October – Second Week of November) | Second week of Chaitra – Second Week of Baishakh (Third week of March – Fourth Week of April) |
| 8 | Garlic | First week of Kartik-Last week of Kartik (Third week of October – Second Week of Novembers) | Second week of Chaitra – Second Week of Baishakh (Third week of March – Fourth week of April) |
| 9 | Common bean (Shim) | Last week of Ashar – Last week of Sraban (Second week of July – Second week of August) | First week of Kartik – Last week of Falgun (Third week of October – Second week of March) |
| 10 | Sweet gourd | Last week of Kartik (Second week of November) | First week of Magh – Last week of Chaitra (First week of January – Second Week of April) |
| 11 | Water gourd | First week of Bhadra (Third week of August) | First week of Agrahayan – Last week of Chaitra (Third week of November -Second week of April) |
| 12 | Stem amaranth | First week of Falgun-Second week of Falgun (Third and Fourth Week of February) | First week of Chaitra-Second week of Baishakh (Third Week of March – Fourth week of April) |
| 13 | Little cucumber | First week of Kartik – Second week of Kartik (Third week of October – Fourth week of October) | First week of Magh – Last week of Chaitra (First week of January – Second week of April) |
| 14 | Red amaranth | First week of Ashin-Last week of Ashin (Third week of September-Second week of October | Second week of Agrahayan – Last week of Poush (Third week of November Second week of January) |
| 15 | Bitter gourd | First week of Kartik-Second Week of Kartik (Third week of October – Fourth week of October) | First week of Falgun – Last week of Baishakh (Third week February – Second week of May) |
| 16 | Indian spinach | Last week of Magh – First week of Falgun (Second week of February – Third week of February) | Second week of Chaitra – Second week of raban (Third Week of March Second week of August) |
| 17 | Sponge gourd | First week of Falgun – Third week of Falgun (Second week of February – First Week of March) | First week of Baishakh – Last week of Ashin (Third week of April – Second week of October) |
| 18 | Ash gourd | First week of Falgun – Third week of Falgun (Second week of February – First week of March) | Last week of Chaitra – Last week of Ashin (Second week of April – Second week of October) |
| 19 | Okra | First week of Falgun – Last week of Falgun (Third week of February – Second week of March) | Last week of Chaitra – Last week of Ashin (Second week of April – Second week of October) |
| 20 | Jute | Last week of Falgun – Last week of Chaitra (Second week of March – Second week of April) | Second week of Asharh – Second week of Sraban (First week of July – First week of August) |
| 21 | Arum | First week of Falgun – Last week of Falgun (Third week of February – Second week of March) | Last week of Chaitra – Last week of Ashar (Second week of July – Second week of July) |
The farmers are much benefitted by growing season based crops. The Nayakrishi farmers have been using these crops for their own family consumption and selling the surplus in the local market, Shashya Sundar at Tangail and Shashya Prabartana, Dhaka. They also grow these crops for seed multiplication for growing crops and selling the surplus for cash income.