PAU rejects ideal nutrient ratio thesis

Sarbjit Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 24

Rejecting the assertion that NPK (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium) nutrient ratio of 4:2:1 is an ideal combination for an agrarian state such as Punjab, an expert from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) today said the ideal combination and ratio was dependent on the quality of the soil of a particular area or region.

“There cannot be a fixed formula in this regard and the ideal nutrient ratio varies from state to state in direct relation to the quality of soil,” said a senior official of the PAU.

The PAU official was reacting to the report that because of the overuse of the fertilisers, nutrients in Punjab’s soil were diminishing.

On the basis of the report of the parliamentary panel, it was reported today that in Punjab the NPK nutrient ratio was 39:9:1, whereas the ideal ratio was 4:2:1 and the national average is 7:3:1.

The PAU official said the soil health in the state had not been deteriorating, but improving. Earlier, zinc deficiency used to be in more than half of the state, but it had now come down to less than 25 per cent, he said. Likewise, the potassium level was medium to high in about 90 per cent soil in the state and it was deficient only in 8 per cent of the total land under cultivation in the state.

“Organic carbon element in Punjab soil has also improved over the years,” he added. “We are preparing a full report in response to the issues raised in the parliamentary panel report and submit the same to the state government soon,” said the PAU official dealing with the soil health.

He said as the productivity level was very high in the state obviously due to this reason, the intake of nutrients was also high. Besides, there were a large number of farmers who were taking three crops in a year and all over cropping intensity level was also in the range of 190 per cent. Because of this reason, the intake of nutrients by way of fertiliser was high.

However, he admitted the fact that there were farmers who make overuse of the fertilisers because they never get their soil tested in spite of the fact that about 75 soil testing labs were available in the state.

The panel (Estimates Committee of the Lok Sabha) headed by senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi had yesterday expressed concern over fake organic farm produce entering domestic markets without proper testing and certification. It suggested stringent punishment for those selling non-organic farm produce as organic (chemical pesticide-free) and putting in place a strict monitoring mechanism considering India's potential to boost organic products exports. The committee suggested increasing public awareness and setting up traditional seed banks to promote organic farming.

The committee recommended setting up a dedicated Organic Finance and Development Corporation, synchronising all schemes related to organic farming along with an increase in budgetary support.