The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : The objective is better yield Field Notes

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Friday, Jun 20, 2008
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The objective is better yield Field Notes

The centre will educate farmers on soil, water testing and leaf analysis

A BOON: The soil testing centre which is coming up at IAT of Chitradurga.

Chitradurga district is all set to have its first soil, water and leaf analysis centre for the benefit of farmers. The centre is being set up on the Institution of Agriculture Technologists (IAT) premises of the city. The objective of the centre is to educate farmers on various crucial aspects of soil, water testing and leaf analysis for not only obtaining better yield but also to prevent pest attacks. The analysis of these three elements is essential for optimum yield. In the event of failure to test water before plantation, farmers may not reap the expected crop either due to acidity or alkalinity, said IAT founder Sitaram Reddy. He said that the testing of soil and water helps in determining the amount of fertilizers to be given to the crop. He said that soon the centre would be receiving Atomic Absorption Spectro Meter, a scientific device, which is essential for leaf analysis. This analysis helps in finding out the amount of nutrients present in the plant. The centre would help farmers who are willing to adopt scientific methods in farming sector, he said. Mr. Reddy said that centre would handle all aspects mentioned in the concept of precision farming which is, of late, turning popular across the world. Elaborating about the concept, he said that it is about evolving new technologies and integrating them in various stages of farming to obtain optimum production. The stages begin from soil testing followed by water testing and leaf analysis. He said that though many farmers of the district are aware of the importance of soil and water testing, in the absence of a testing centre here the farmers had to visit Davangere district. Many farmers who could not afford to visit Davangere had to undertake cultivation without testing which meant loss of yield, he said. Even the Government has mandated soil testing to be adopted for drip irrigation, Mr. Reddy said. To spread awareness on the centre, the IAT would hold programmes for farmers in association with departments such as Horticulture, Agriculture and Sericulture. Deputy Director, Horticulture Department, Kadiregowda, said that the department has, under the National Horticulture Mission, given Rs. 9 lakh for the construction of the centre, while the estimation was Rs. 20 lakh. Mr. Reddy hoped that the centre would start functioning within one month.

Firoz Rozindar in Chitradurga

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