ISLAMABAD: Technical specialists of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) have completed second annual meeting with their Pakistani counterparts on Friday as part of a $1.4 million ongoing project to improve soil health and fertility in Pakistan.

This collaboration among USDA, the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), and 10 Pakistani institutions spreads awareness about how Pakistani farmers can improve soil health and fertility to provide more nutrients and water for their crops.

USDA Agronomist Mike Kucera said Pakistan’s soil resources can be maintained and improved through the use of the four R’s: the right nutrients, applied at the right rate, at the right time, and in the right place.

“Keeping soils covered with crop residue, utilising cover crops, limiting soil disturbance, providing a living root throughout the year, and using crop rotations are other key measures to maintain healthy, productive soils for Pakistan’s future generations,” Kucera added.

Innovative practices being demonstrated and disseminated to farmers through the 30-month project include: composting old banana leaves and stems to add organic matter to soil, using bio-fertiliser to enhance the efficiency of conventional fertiliser, planting seeds directly through crop residue with no tillage, using green manure, and using the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad fertiliser prediction model to reduce the over-application of nitrogen fertiliser and get better economic returns.

Dr Muhammad Aslam, the soil fertility expert leading the project at ICARDA, commented, “Adding organic manures and compost to the soil is very important.”

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2015

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