Double purpose Iinseed:a viable option for doubling farmers' income in the north-western Himalyan region

摘要

Linseed is a rabi crop, grown both for seed and fibre since long time. In general, the dual purpose linseed varieties bred in warm climates were inferior in fibre fineness than those in cold climates. Improved production techniques of dual purpose linseed for this region will certainly be helpful in changing the production status of linseed, which will not only increase the income of farmers but also help in employment generation for rural and urban masses along with smart earnings of foreign currency to improve agro socio-economy. A good crop of dual purpose linseed can be obtained by adopting Nagarkot, Jeevan and Him Alsi-2 varieties under irrigated situation (2-3 irrigation) during first fortnight of October using 40 kg seed/ha at row distance of 23 cm, fertilizer application of 50:40:20 N:P_2O_5 and K_2O along with need based plant-protection measures. Net monetary return ( ha) and production economics of dual purpose linseed clearly revealed that the income of farmers can be doubled through the adoption of recommended agroproduction technologies. Development of improved varieties having quality fiber with good seed yield, refinements in post-harvest technologies especially retting and scutching and suitable government policies are essential for the promotion of dual purpose linseed.