Home ›› 20 Sep 2022 ›› Nation
Liming and organic manures have become effective means towards boosting cropping yield coupled with protecting soil health from further degradation caused by indiscriminate chemical fertilisation in Rajshahi region, including its vast Barind tract.
Organic matter creates a positive soil environment from which plants can uptake nutrients from applied chemical fertilisers. It increases uptake of applied chemical fertilisers by the plants which contributes to increasing crop productivity through reducing toxic flow of active chemical fertilisers to the environment.
These were ascertained through different experimental plots of wheat, lentil, potato and chickpea at many locations in Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Naogaon districts recently.
The cash crops were cultivated in two separate demonstration plots, one experiment and other farmers’ practice, to evaluate the effects of liming and organic matter on soil properties, soil health and growth traits.
The field level experiments conducted by Rajshahi regional office of Soil Resource Development Institute (SRDI) showed better yields than that of the conventional plots.
Dr Nurul Islam, Principal Scientific Officer of SRDI, said each of the farmers were given all sorts of impute supports including fertiliser, labour, water for irrigation and technical knowhow for farming crops on one bigha of experimental plot.
Potato yield was 115 maunds per bigha in experimental plot against 90 maund of farmers practice while the yield of chickpea was 13 maunds of experimental plot against six maunds of conventional system, said farmer Saiful Islam of Badhair village under Tanore upazila.
“I have harvested nine maunds of lentil from the experiment plot while six maunds from his own conventional system,” said Shariful Alam, another farmer of Patari village under Shapaher upazila, adding that the liming and organic matter system is cost-effective. Youth gets life imprisonment in a Rajshahi rape case
Taimur Ali, a farmer of Parbatipur area under Gomostapur upazila, had cultivated wheat on two bigha of lands and harvested 18 maunds of yield from the one-bigha experiment plot while 12 maunds from the conventional one.
The farmers applied half-rated chemical fertiliser along with optimum organic fertiliser and bio-pesticide in their fields in order to make them financially benefited side by side with protecting the soil health.
Soil Scientist Dr Nurul Islam said soil organic matter is a key factor in maintaining long-term soil fertility since it is the reservoir of metabolic energy, which drives soil biological processes involved in nutrient availability.
Main objective of the experiment was to achieve more broad based and sustainable outcomes in soil health, food security, environment management and economic opportunity in the region.
“We have provided technical knowledge on proper and effective application of organic methods in farming fields to the targeted farmers,” he added.
Most of the soils in the Barind area have less than 1.5 per cent and some soils contain even less than 1 per cent organic matter whereas a good soil should have at least 2.5 per cent organic matter.
He defined that organic matter supplies plant nutrients, increases water holding capacity of soil, reduces residual negative effect of fertilisers and pesticides. It makes the crops more tolerant to diseases, insects and also prevents soil erosion.
It is also the energy source for soil microorganisms, which are the primary agents that enhance the decomposition and release of minerals in the soil system.
