‘X-ray of the soil’ helps Gujarat farmers cut fertiliser use, boost yields

9 hours ago 1
ARTICLE AD BOX
Indian husbandman  applying manure to an cultivation  field.

Indian husbandman applying manure to an cultivation field. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStock

A fabric husbandman successful Gujarat’s Bhavnagar reduced his fertiliser usage by astir fractional aft a ungraded trial showed his cultivation tract did not necessitate the quantities helium had been applying for years. His yield, however, accrued from 8 tonne to 11.24 tonne , officials said.

The acquisition of Hirenbhai Nakrani from Gariadhar colony reflects the nonsubjective of Gujarat’s Soil Health Card programme, nether which much than 2.23 crore cards person been issued to farmers implicit the past 2 decades, officials said. The State has acceptable a people of investigating 2.18 lakh ungraded samples and issuing caller cards during the existent year.

Mr. Nakrani cultivates fabric connected 12 bighas of land. Earlier, helium utilized astir 400 kg of urea and 290 kg of DAP fertiliser annually. Following a ungraded trial conducted astatine the Bhavnagar ungraded investigating laboratory, helium received recommendations done a ungraded wellness paper and reduced his urea depletion to 180 kg and DAP usage to 140 kg.

According to agriculture section officials, the simplification lowered input costs portion expanding production. “The paper helped america recognize what the ungraded really required,” Mr. Nakrani said.

Officials accidental the strategy is aimed astatine promoting balanced fertiliser usage and improving ungraded fertility. Farmers person recommendations based connected laboratory investigation of ungraded samples collected from their fields.

Arunbhai Meniya, a husbandman from Lakhtar taluka successful Surendranagar district, said helium began utilizing integrated inputs aft receiving his ungraded wellness paper report. He said the information of his ungraded improved and its moisture retention capableness increased.

Parul Parmar, Assistant Director of Agriculture astatine the Gandhinagar Soil Testing Laboratory, said the ungraded wellness paper analyses 12 parameters, including large nutrients specified arsenic nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, on with micronutrients specified arsenic zinc, iron, copper and manganese.

“The recommendations assistance farmers debar excessive fertiliser usage and use nutrients according to the needs of the soil,” Mr. Parmar said.

Gujarat presently has 21 ungraded investigating laboratories and 1 micronutrient laboratory. Officials said farmers are encouraged to travel modular sampling procedures to guarantee close trial results.

The Soil Health Card programme was archetypal introduced successful Gujarat successful 2003-04 and was aboriginal expanded crossed the state successful 2015. Agriculture officials accidental the inaugural has contributed to reducing input costs and improving productivity portion supporting semipermanent ungraded management.

Published - June 06, 2026 06:56 p.m. IST

Read Entire Article