Balanced use of fertiliser for optimum crop productivity urged: Soil science congress concludes

The 10th Congress of Soil Science held at Sindh Agriculture University concluded on Thursday after presenting recommendations of 14-member experts committee constituted by the congress under the convenership of Dr M. Mohsin Iqbal, a renowned soil scientists of Nuclear Institute of Agriculture and Biology, Faisalabad.
The expert committee made recommendations resulting from the papers presented and the accompanying discussion during the three-day deliberations for researchers, policy-makers and extension workers.
The expert committee recommended maintenance of long-term and permanent sites under different agro-ecological zones pertaining to different disciplines of soil science.
The experts are of the view that soil and environmental degradation should be combated by strengthening current research activities and planning new one.
The committee recommended that all possible means of using organic and inorganic amendments for soil problem should be promoted through incentives to farmers and balanced application of chemical fertilisers has to be promoted for optimum crop productivity.
It is also recommended that co-ordinate research efforts at national level be strengthened to counter present water shortage by adopting efficient water management practices.
For policy-makers, the committee recommended that the present day agriculture was faced with acute water shortage resulting in decrease yields.
Its need to be mitigated through developing new water reservoirs and decrease pumping of brackish ground water.
The committee maintained that the SSSP should convene meeting of experts for developing priorities and policies for soil and water-related research to provide guidelines to the policy-makers and researchers.
The committee was of the view that the soil being a non-renewable resource must be considered as most precious factor of agriculture production and, thus, must be duly recognised with a position of Soil Commissioner at the Minfal.
It was recommended that the efficient management of natural resources demands their characterisation afresh for developing new resource inventory. Information available at present is very old as it is based on the aerial photography in the 1950s.
For this purpose the Soil Survey Project of Pakistan must be upgraded to a department with provision of adequate funds and qualified staff while farming communities should be given economic incentives and technical support for the restoration of marginal land and sustainable use of brackish ground water.
It also recommended that in future all research development and policy planning related to agriculture must be made in consultation with the relevant specialists and the recognition of agriculture researchers should be based on the value of contribution towards achieving national goals and enhancing socio-economic impact on farming communities in addition to consideration of impact factor on scientific papers.
For extension and outreach workers, the committee recommended that the balanced use of fertiliser should be promoted for optimum crop productivity through individual nutrient use efficiency as well as positive interaction.
It is also recommended that the concept of Integrated Plant Nutrient Management (IPNM) should be promoted as it will not only release pressure on mineral fertiliser but also maintain natural resources and current yield level by increasing nutrient and water use efficiency.
It was also recommended that innovative technologies like laser land levelling, foiling feeding, fustigation, etc., must be popularised.
The member of experts committee includes: Dr Nabi Bux Sial, Dr Anwarul Haq, Dr Muhammad yousuf, Dr Amanullah Bhatti Dr A Rshid, Dr M. Rashid, Dr B.Y. Khalid, Dr Jamat Ali Shah, Dr Abdul Ghafoor, Dr Zahoor Alam, Mr Khurshid Shah, Muhammad Hussain Khusk and Fazal-e-Ahad Khan.
The congress was attended by scientists from India, Bangladesh, Iran, Germany and Russia, besides around two hundred soil scientists and researchers from all over the country.