The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), on May 18, 2026, issued an advisory recommending water conservation and drought mitigation strategies to help farmers manage water stress and deficit rainfall. The advisory outlines agronomic, irrigation, and crop management practices aimed at improving soil moisture conservation, enhancing drought tolerance, and sustaining crop productivity under adverse weather conditions.
The advisory recommends adoption of summer ploughing, farm ponds, de-silting of water storage structures, residue mulching, conservation furrows, broad bed furrows, and supplemental irrigation to conserve soil moisture. It also prescribes seed hardening and seed treatment techniques for crops such as sorghum, pearl millet, groundnut, pulses, and millets, along with the use of tractor-drawn seed drills, drip irrigation for perennial crops, and renovation of water harvesting structures to improve water-use efficiency.
Further, TNAU advises farmers to adopt crop-specific foliar sprays and crop boosters, including Pulse Wonder, Groundnut Rich, Cotton Plus, Maize Maxim, Sugarcane Booster, Crop Shine, Potassium Chloride (KCl), Kaolin, PPFM, and anti-transpirants, to enhance drought tolerance and reduce moisture stress. Additional recommendations include fertilizer placement, mulching, community bore wells, cattle camps, terminal nipping in cotton, and integrated seed management practices to improve crop resilience during prolonged dry spells.
