My suggestions are:
- Issue of Soil Health Cards to all farm holdings. Soil Health Card Scheme implemented in India provides status of soil of the farm holding with respect to 12 parameters based on soil test results and provides advice on the dosage of fertiliser and also the needed soil amendments.
- Integrated Nutrient Management (INM)- judicious use and optimisation of benefits of all possible sources of organic, inorganic and biological components is very much needed. The use of inorganic fertilisers can be reduced if INM is followed. The availability of nutrients in the biological wastes available in the locality should be analysed properly and results made known to the extension officers.
- Soil-water-plant relationship- Timing of application and dosage of application must be based on appropriate water-fertiliser regime. Nutrient uptake includes three mechanisms- mass flow, diffusion and root interception.
- To prevent fertiliser contamination, soil application of fertiliser should be reduced, timing of fertiliser application should coincide with plant need (application based on stages of plant growth) and fertiliser should be mixed with soil to reduce surface run-off of the fertiliser compounds.
- Governance issues related to ensuring availability distribution and use of fertilisers- a) mobile based fertiliser management system can be employed for monitoring using IT based technical platform, b) Monitoring of ensuring subsidy for fertilisers based on direct transfer system, etc.
Prof.R.M.Prasad
Former Associate Director of Extension, KAU
General Secretary, Farm Care Foundation, Thrissur, Kerala
Dr. Muraleedhar Prasad