National News

MULTAN, July 7 (APP): Agriculture experts have advised
farmers to get soil samples analyzed from laboratories set
up at district level for land preparation in accordance with
crop and soil needs for obtaining a higher yield.
In a statement issued by media liaison unit of Punjab
agriculture department, experts said that soil analysis can
unveil necessary information like salinity, crop access to
Nitrogen, micro nutrient including Potash, Zinc, Boron, presence
of organic material, PH value of soil and availability of gypsum.
This useful information can help farmers apply only the
needed quantity of fertilizers and micronutrient and adopt proper
measures to get good production results.
Giving tips on how to collect sample from one acre of field
for analysis, experts said that farmers should collect samples
from different parts of the field and then mix them to get a
compound sample. They said that cotton farmers should dig down
from zero to 30 cm deep and collect five to twenty five (25)
samples from a cotton field and then mix all these to get a
compound sample.This compound sample, upon analysis, can give
average fertility of the land,they said.
Farmers should first prepare a map of the field showing all
details prominently.Samples should be collected from spaces away
from the road, trees, heaps of fertilizers and houses. Samples of
saline areas should be collected separately.
After getting the samples analyzed, farmers should then
consult agriculture officials and follow their guidelines to get
good produce.