‘Losing 24 bn tonnes of fertile soil annually’

Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 18

Sixty percent of total crop yield depends mainly on soil health. Therefore, performing soil tests on regular basis could help in improving the soil and boosting crop yield.

Dr VK Rampal, deputy director training, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ropar said, “It is estimated that each year 24 billion tonnes of fertile soil is lost due to erosion which is a result of unbalanced soil management. Therefore, proper soil management in the form of soil testing and application of right fertilisers is more efficient and financially justified.”

Dr OS Sandhu, assistant professor, soil science, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ropar said, “Soil testing helps to know the exact quality of soil, what essential nutrients it lacks and most importantly can decrease our excessive dependency on chemical fertilisers which are used for enriching the soil.”

Dr Sandhu further said testing soil once in a year is an ideal recommendation, but if once a year isn’t feasible then one may be able to increase frequency to two years. He said, “Frequent soil testing helps farmers to decide whether their current management system is good for their crops or not.”

Time of soil sampling

Dr Sandhu said, “In Punjab there are two time slots suitable for soil testing. As the wheat crop harvested in April and the next crop rice is to be planted in June, so there is a lot of time available for soil testing after the harvest of wheat crop.”

Collection of sample

To obtain accurate soil test results, it is important to collect soil samples from the correct depth and from multiple locations within a field. If the field is levelled and soil appears to be uniform, only one composite sample if taken properly could be enough for an area of 1-2 hectares.

Sampling tools

Necessary tools such as spade, auger (tube and screw type), plastic bucket or any other container, plastic ba, scale and water proof marker are required. It’s better to use tube auger, spade or khurpi for sampling in the soft and moist and screw type auger for dry land.

Methods of sampling

Always collect samples following a zig-zag pattern. The area to be sampled should be as uniform as possible in terms of soil type, previously planted crops and applied fertilisers. Collect the sample in a clean cloth or polythene bag. Avoid sampling in shade, dead furrows, wet spots, areas near main bund, trees, and irrigation channels.

Dr Rampal said potassium and phosphorus are major nutrients required by plants as phosphorus is required for root development and potassium is essential component in regulating water balance.