(ii) Soils
and Crops
Patiala District consists of
five main physiographical dvisions; viz. sand dunes, alluvial terraces plains,
floodplains of Patiala Wali Nadi and Choa Nadi floodplains of Ghaggar and
dissecting rolling plains in the north. The general slope of the district is
from north east to south west. The highest attitude to 280 M above mean sea
level in Rajpura in the north - east and lowest is 237 M above mean sea level
in Samana in norht-west. There are serveral chos in the northern part of the
district, most important are Patiala Wali Nadi and Choa Nadi all draining to
the river Ghaggar. The present material of the district is alluvial originated
from the sedimentary beds from the Shivalik.
Soils. - The soils in the sand dune area are sandly to
loamy sand in texture with low available moisture capacity 2.3 to 5.0 cm/100 cm
profile. Soils in the intersunal plains are relatively heavier (sandy loam to
sandy clay loam) with moderare available moisture capacity 4.8 to 18.0 cm/100
cm. The soils in the leveled plains are characterized by loam to clay loam
texture occasionally heavier profiles with clay texture are observed locally . Low lying areas in these terraces
are salt affected.
The soils in the old channels of Patiala Wali Nadi and choa
Nadi are very fine textured (clay and silty clay) and they contain lot of
shrinking and swelling type of clays. These areas also experienced seasonal
flooding resulting in high water table and are mostly salt affected. The soils
of the Ghaggar floodplain are variable in texture. The soils of the river sand
bars are sandy and those of the surrounding floodplains are generally sandy
loam to silty clay loam in texture. The stratified soils are calcareious in
nature.
The soils in the undulating plains ( near the Shivalik) are
having 2-15 per cent slope and are sandy loam to loam in texture. These soils
are susceptible to erosion by chos during monsoon season.
Physico--Chemical
Characteristics
The district of Patiala consists of nine developmental bocks,
viz. Bassi Pathana, Rajpura, Dera Bassi, Sirhind, Nabha, Patiala, Ghanaur,
Bhuner Heri and Samana. The soils samples received in Soil Testing Laboratory,
Ludhiana show that the soils of all the developmental blocks are normal with
respect to salf contents of soils and there is no salinity problem in the
cultivated areas of the district.
With respect to soil alkalinity, the percentage of normal
soils varies from 53 (Nabha Block) to 91 ( Dera Bassi Block) . The marginal
soils which are having PM value 8.7 to 9.3 varies from 8 ( Dera Bassi Block) to
40 ( Nabha Block) per cent. There are some alkaline soils also and these are
having PM value more than 9.3 and needs reclamation with the addition of
gypsum. The percentage of alkaline soils varies from nil( Bassi Pathana Block)
to 7 ( Nabha Block).
The organic carbon ( which is an index of available nitrogen)
content of the soils of the district is low to medium and most of these soils
need a heavy nitrogen fertilization for an excellent crop production. About 60
per cent of the cultivable area is having low organic carbon status (0.4 per
cent) organic carbon status.
The available phosphorus, content of the soils varied a lot
because of the additionof phosphatic fertilizers for crop production. The
percentage of soils samples falling in low available phosphorus (5 Kg P/acre) category ranges from 12 ( Bassi
Pathana Block) to 58 ( Dera Bassi Block) . The percentage of soil samples
falling in medium available phosphorus (5-9 Kg p/acre) ranges from 16 ( Dera
Bassi Block) to 32 ( Bhuner Heri Block) . The percentage of soil samples
falling in high category ( 9 Kg p/acre ) varied from 17 ( Samana Block) to 56 (
Bassi Pathana).
Most of the soils of the district are medium to high in
available of potassium status and do not require any addition of potassum
fertilizers. The percentage of soils samples falling in low available potassium
category (55 kg K20/ acre) ranged from 2 ( Bhuner Heri and Bassi Pathana
Blocks) to 16 ( Samana Block) . The percentage of soil damples falling in
medium available category (55--135 kg K20 / acre) ranged from 20 ( Rajpura
Block) to 70 ( Samana Block) . The samples falling in high category ( 7, 135
K20 / acre) ranged from 14 ( Samana Block) to 75 ( Rajpura Block) per cent.
Major and Subsidiary Crops.----- There are two main harvests, the rabi ( hari)
or spring harvest and the Kharif ( sawani) or autuman harvest,. The rabi crops
are sown in October --November and harvested from mid--March to mid--May. Late
sowing of some HYV . e.g. wheat(MDM 1553, WG--377) and Barley (C--64) are also
sown up to December. The kharif sowings take place from June to August and
harvesting lasts early September to late December. Sugarcane and cotton are counted among the autumn crops though sown earlier.
The cultivation of some crops fall in classed as zaid kharif crop and melons
which are harvested late in June, are among the zaid rabi crops.
The principal rabi crop is wheat, while monor ones or subsidiary
crops are barley, gram, oilseeds(sarson, taramira, alsi and torial ) and winter
vegetables such as peas , cabbage, cauliflower , turnip, carrot , etc, The
principal kharif crops are paddy , sugarcane, cotton and ground nut , while
maize , jowar and bajra are minor crops. kharif vegetables include tomato and
ladyfinger, kharif pulses are maily moong, mash arhar, soyabeen, etc: while
grapes, pear , peach, guava, etc. are the kharif fruits grown in the district.
Detailed particulars regarding the area under different crops
and their total production in the district from 1981--82 to 1988--89 are given
in Appendix I and II at the end of this chapter. The important kharif and rabi
crops are described as under:
Wheat
Among foodgrains, wheat is the most important rabi crop of the
district . It is the staple diet of the people and is generally sown in early
November. It is harvested between April
and May.
With the improvement in irrigation facilities, the area under
this crop in the district has increased from 286 thousand hectares in 1980- 81
to 321 thousand hectares in 1988-89 . During
1988-89 , the district produced 1,249 thousand metric tonnes of wheat.
The farmers in the district have in general adopted High Yielding Varieties
(H Y V ), the cultivation of
which permits late sowing upto the month of December.
Paddy
Paddy is an important kharif crop of the district. Incresed
irrigation facilities, and heavy rains and floods resulting in waterlogging ,
have contributed to the increased cultivation of this crop. The area under this
crop in the district during 1980-81 was 191 thousand hectares, which increased
to 254 thousand hectares in 1988-89 . Consequently , production of this crop
has also gone up from 44 thousand metric tonnes to 778 thousand metric tonnes.
Its nursery is sown in May and June and transplantation is done at the end of
the June and in the begining of July. It s harvesting season is October-
November.
Maize
Maize is yet another major kharif crop of the district. It is
consumed mostly in winter. It is sown in irrigated Lands. Hybrid varieties have
found favour with the farmers. The production of the crop in the district
during 1980-81 was 27 thousand metric tonnes which decreased to 13 thousand
metric tonnes in 1988-89 . The reason for decrease in production is that the
area under maize cultivation has progressively been diverted to paddy
cultivation . The area under maize cultivation during 1988-89 was only 20
thousand hectares as against 27 thousand hectares in 1980-81.
Bajra
It is also a kharif crop of
the district. It is sown in early July when summer rains set in and is reaped
in October-November . Production of the crop in the district was 1.6 thousand
metric tonnes in 1980-81 and in 1988-89 became 0.7 metric tonnes. The area
under bajra cultivation in 1980-81 was 1.2 thousand hectares which decreased to
0.8 thousand hectares in 1988-89 due to diversion of area in favour of
high-yielding varieties.
Barley
It is a rabi cereal sown
from October to early January and harvested in early April. It requires less
water than that required by wheat. with the improvement in irrigation
facilities, the area is being diverted to other remunerative crops and as such
the area under the crop has decreased from 8.4 thousand hectares in 1980-81 to
2.8 thousand hectares in 1988-89 . The productin also decreased from 16
thousand metric tonnes to 8 thousand metric tonnes.
Pulses
Pulses are the main source
of protein in the rood. The pulses grown in the district are gram, mash, moong,
arhar and massar. Gram is an important cash crop and occupies large area like
other major crops of the district. The area under gram cultivation in the
district was 12 thousand hectares during 1980-81 which decreased to 1.5
thousand hectares in 1988-89.
Oilseeds
Groundnut, rape and mustard
, linsed and sesamum are the oilseeds grown in sandy loam and clay loam types
of soil. The area under groundnut gradually decresed from 14 thousand hectares
in 1980-81 to 1.2 thousand hectares in 1988-89 . The production of this crop in
the district, during 1980-81 was 18 thousand metric tonnes, which came down to
1 thousand metric tonnes in 1988-89.
Cotton
Cotton is a major Kharif
cash crop sown all over the district. It has two varieties, viz. Americn and
desi. Desi cotton is more popular than Amricn , because American cotton cannot
stand heavy rains and rough weather as the desi cotton can. Moreover , there
has been no substantial difference the yield of Americna cotton and desi
cotton.
The area under cotton in the district, during 1980-81 was
19.6 thousand hectares, which declined to 9.3 thousand hectares in 1988-89.
Sugar
cane
Sugarcane is one of the major cash crops of the district. It
is grown all over the district. During 1980-81,the area under sugarcane was 8
thousand hectares which produced 41 thousand metric tonnes of gur. During
1988-89 , the area under sugarcane marginally fell to 8.4 thousand hectares.
However , the production of gur increased to 51 thousand metric tonnes due to
high yielding varities.
Barseem
Barseem is an important
green folder crop of rabi. It is sown during the last week of September and
first week of October. It is highly nutritious fodder and keeps on growing
after repeated cuttings throughout the winter and early summer seasons. The
crop gets ready within 60 days after sowing.
Chillies and potatoes are also grwon in the district. During
1988-89 , the area under chillies and potatoes was 0.61 thousand hectares and
2.7 thousand hectares, respectively. The district occupies top position in the
State in the production of chillies.
Vegetables.---- There is an ample scope for incresing the
prodution of vegetables in the district, because agro-climatically, it is
suitable for the production of almost all the vegetables. The total area under
vegetables, excluding chillies in the district during 1988-89 was 7,083
hectares . The following vegetables are grown in the district:
Winter
Vegetables: Cauliflower (phul
gobhi), cabbage (Band Gobhi) potato(alu) , turnip (shalgam), carrot (gajar),
radish (muli), spinach (palak), fenugreek (methi), onion (piaz) garlic
(lassan), capsicum (shimla mirch) and peas (matar).
Summer
Vegetables: Lady finger(bhindi),
bottle-gourd (ghia kaddu), ash-groud (petha), pumpkin (halwa kaddu), brinjal
round and long (baingan), tomato (tamatar), musk-melon(sarda kharbuza), bitter
gourd (karela), sponge -gourd (ghia), water melon (tarbuz), chillies (mirch),
arum (arbi), sweet-potato (shakarkandi), long-melon( tar) and squash
melon(tinda).
(iii)
Set-up and Activities of the Horticulture Department
Prior to 2 May 1979, the horticultural activities were
being looked after by the Agriculture Department at the state as well as the
district level. Keeping , in view the importance of horticulture in the economy
of the state, a seprate department of Horticulture was created on 2 May 1979.
The horticulture activities in the Patiala District are
being after by an Assistant Director, Landscape, who functions under the
administrative control of Director of Horticulture, Punjab, Chandigarh . In the
performance of his duties, he is assisted by 1 Horticulture Development
Officer, 11 Horticulture Inspectors, 5
Horticultural Sub-Inspector, 1 Superintendent, 1 Accountant, besides other
miscellaneous Class iii and Class iv staff.
The main function of the Horticulture Department in the
district are as under :
(i) Helping site selection,
soil testing, water testing and layout of orchards and arrangement of fruit
plants,
(ii) Educating the fruit
growers regarding right and proper use of all horticultural operation in their
orchards such as training, pruning and spraying of orchards,
(iii) Grant of 50 percent
subsidy on plant materials, garden tools, insecticides and pesticides,
(iv) Advancement of long term
loans through coomercial banks for establishing new orchards and nurseries;
(v) Beautification of public
places by arranging ornamental plants,
(vi) Training in fruit and
vegetables preservation through community canning centre.
The following
demonstration-cum-nursery centres are functioning in the district, which are
looked after by Horticulture Department for the improvement of fruit varieties
:
(1)
Baradari Garden and Landscape Nursery, Patiala. --Baradari Gardens of Patiala are maintained by the Horticulture
Department, Punjab. The existing plant material is the produce of flower
nursery of this unit.
Flower nursery is well stocked with several varieties of
ornamental plants. About 40 varieties of roses are propagated here which are
sold to the flower fans. In addition, seedings of annual are also raised for
sale.
(2)
Government Garden and Fruit Nursery, Patiala.---- It comprises five unts, viz, Nihal Bagh Bhupindra Kothi, Old Guest
House, Fruit Nursery and Bhedpur. The total area under this unit is about 100
acres. Bhupindra Kothi and Nihal bagh are well known for dusehri and langra
varieties of mango in the country. In addition , peach, grape, litchi and guava
plants are also propagated in this unit.
(3)
Government Garden and Nursery, Nabha.----- It comprises six units, viz: Garden Mai Desan, Garden Malkan
wala,Guest house and Pacca Bagh. Its total area is about 58 acres. The main
fruits being propagated here are, lichi, pear, peach, grapes and guava.
(4) Aam Khas
Bagh, Sirhind.----- This is a landscape
unit of the Department as well as tourist spot which is jointly manged by the
Department of Horticulture, Punjab and Punjab Tourism Corporation. It is
situated on GT Road, about 2 Km from Fatehgarh Sahib. This unit has outstanding
varieties of loquat,mango grafted and seedling.
(5)
Government Garden and Nursery, Bassi Pathana.--- This unit consists of 25 acres and is situated at the link road from
Bassi Pathana to Sanghol. Pear and peach fruit Plants are propagated here. This
unit is also used as progeny orchard for multiplying good quality nursery fruit
plants with its material as scion wood.
(6)
Government Garden and Nursery ,Wazidpur.-- This is a 25 acre unit situated on the Patiala-Sangrur road about 1
km from the main road. The main fruits being propagated here are ber, peach,
guava and cirtus.
(7)
Government Garden and Nursery , Dhingi. ---This is also 25 acres unit, where peach and pear plants are
propagated. This unit is exclusively meant for good quality scion wood material
serving as a progeny orchard.
(8)
Government Fruit Preservation laboratory, Patiala.----This laboratory is located in the Baradari Garden, Patiala ,where
fruit products of different kinds like squash, juice, jam , etc. are prepared
and sold to the public on 'no profit no loss' basis.
Community Canning Scheme is also in operation to train the
aspirants for different fruit and vegetables products preparation . These
products are also prepared on 'custom basis' on nominal charges.
(9) Mushroom
Spawn Laboratory and Demonstration Farm, Patiala -For the benefit of mushroom growers of the district, a spawn producting
laboratory is functioning from where a good quality mushroom seed is available.
A demonstration is also held every year to provide a
technical know-how to the mushroom growers. The produce of this farm is also
sold on concessional rates to develop dietic-taste among the mushroom lovers.
On 31 March 1989,3,009.68 hectares of land was inder
horticulture in the district.
(IV)
Farmer's Training Camps.----- The
scheme for Farmer's Training was introduced in the district in March 1972
alongwith other districts of the state. It is centrally sponsored scheme. The
main objectives of the Farmer's Training Camps are to give a fillip to the
agricultural production and to popularise multiple croopping by involving large
number of farmers in the high Yielding varieties Programme . The training camps
are held at district/block/village level at the start of the cropping season.
The extension staff and progressive farmers are given training in seminars
which are attended by experts of the Punjab Agricultural University and
Agriculture Department Punjab.
Practical demonstrations in respect of seed treatment, drill sowing and
optimum/efficient use of fertilizers are also given at these camps. The
agriculture Department Punjad and other simlar organisations orgaised 180 village level and 18 block leevel camps
in the distct. Besides , 6 demonstraions , 9 farmers discussions ,77 Production
-cum -demonstrationsand 43 demonstration plots werearranged . (v) Rural
Development Agency, Patiala. -the dis trict Rural Development Agency, Patiala
came into exis -tenceon lApril 1980
which replaced the Small farmer' s Development Agency and marginal farmer' s
and agricultural Ladour agency (SFDA and MFALA).the main odjects of the Rural
Development agency are to identify the eligidle small farmers / marginal
farmers and agricultrallabourers in rural areas of Patiala District, having
yellow cards; to investigte and identify their problems; to formulte programmes
to tackle the problem fo targets group to devise ways and means to implement
various schemes to prepare schemes providing employment to the people of weaker
sectuon to implement TRYSEM schemes; to implement income supplementary
schemefor the eligible persons; to arrange meetings with banks and others for
credit arrangements for the beneficiaries; to release the capital subsidy on
completion of the project and monitoring & evaluation work arrangement.
The Rural Development
Agency, Patiala granted loans worth Rs 236.77 lakhs during the year 1988-89 to
4,910 beneficiaries.
(vi)
Agricultural Co-operatives - The
Co-operative Movement seeks to project the agriculturist both against economic
evils and moral degeneration. The theory of co-operation is, that an isolated
and powerless individual can, by association with others and by moral
development and mutual support obtain credit and other material advantages
beyond his reach, if he works independently. In other words, co-operation
emphasises the importance of self-reliance and mutual help for preventing
material and moral deterioration of the downtrodden of the society.
The Co-operative Movement in
India started with the passing of the Co-operative Credit Societies Act of
1904. The Act provided only for the formation of agricultural credit societies
in the rural areas. Special stress was laid on rural rather than urban credit
in view of the greater importance of the former in India. There was a repid
growth in the number and activities of the Act of 1904 was found insufficient
to meet the growing needs of the movement. The Co-operative Societies Act of
1912 was, therefore, passed which recognized three kinds of central societies
in addition to the primary societies recognized by the Act of 1904. The Act
also recognized co-operation in the field other than credit.
Primary Agricultural
Credit/Service Societies.-These societies play a significant role in increasing
the agricultural production , advancement
of short -term loans through village co-operatives and long-term loans
for agriculture through the primary land co-opeative mortage banks . During
1988-89 , loans amounting to Rs 3,335 lakhs
were advanced by these societies in the district.
The major objectives of the primary agricultural credit
service societies are to supply agricultural credit, distribution of essential
consumer commodities , provide storage and marketing facilities and loans for
light agricultural implements and machinery.
In 1988-89 ,there were 495 co-operative agricultural credit
socities in the district with a membership of 1,49,849.
Agricultural
Co-operative Marketing Societies
Marketing is an art especially in the case of agricultural
produce. The marketing of farm products should be so systematic, scientific and
well organised as to enable the farmer to get a fair share of the value of his
produce. For this purpose, agricultural co-operative marketing societies are
functioning at different places in the district. Besides providing marketing
facilities, these societies make arrangements for the supply of agricultural
necessities and consumer articles in the rural area.
At the State level, there is the Punjab State Co-operative
supply and Marketing Federation (MARKEED), wholesale societies at the district
level and marketing societies at the market level.
In 1988-89, there was 9 agricultural co-operative marketing
societies in the district, with a total membership of 7,096 (971 societties and
6,935 individuals). These society marketed produce worth Rs 484.80 lakhs during
the year.
Other
Societies
Besides the above, there are a number of other
co-operative societies in the agriculture amd allied fields. Their number in
the district in 1988-89 was as under :
Serial No. Type of Societies Number(1988-89)
1 Housing Societies 87
2 Labour Societies 41
3 Milk Producer Societies 472
4 Industrial Societies 478
5 Irrigation Societies 2
(Source : Deputy Registrar,
Co-operative Societies, Patiala)
Co-operative
Farming Societies
Co-operative farming is in a sense, an extension of the concept
of joint-family system to agriculture. It is a xompromise between collective
farming and peasant proprietorship and has all merits of large-scale farming
without abolishing private property. It implies an organisation of farmers on
the basis of common efforts for common interests. Under this system, all
landowners in the village form a co-operative society for cultivating the land.
The land is pooled, but each farmer retains the right to property. The produce
is distributed among the members in proportion to the land and labour
contributed by each. The produce is distributed among the members in proportion
to the land and labour contributed by each. They are allowed to withdraw from
the co-operative farm, whenever they so desire.
In 1988-89, there were 84 co-operative farming societies in
the district, with a membership of 1,192.
(vii)
Progress of Scientific Agriculture - There are two methods for increasing the agricultural production, i.e.
by bringing more land under the plough, called extensive cultivation' or by
putting more inputs in the land called 'intensive cultivation’. Since land is a
scarce factor, it has its own limitations. Therefore, for increasing the
agricultural production, intensive cultivation has to be adopted. It consists
of adoption of scientific methods in cultivation, provision of better seeds and
improved agricultural implements and use of chemical ferilizers, etc. A few of
these are discussed below :
Agriculture
Implements
This is one of the tools intensive cultivation for
increasing agriculture production. The Department of Agriculture, Punjab, has
been giving demonstrations and educating the farmers as to how to make use of
improved agricultural implements. To train the farmers in successful operation
of improved agriculutral implements, a scheme for demonstration of the
implements has been introduced in the district under the Intensive Agricultural
Development Programme.
The persian wheels were not only used in this
district but throughout the State. But it has been replaced by the tube-wells
and pumping -sets. Similarly, the mechanical method of using power thresher,
operated withtractors or small motors and the harvest combine has almost
completely replaced and the threshing of wheat under the feet of bullocks.
Likewise precision machines, such as seed drills, seed-cum-fertilizer drills, corn
planters, etc. are being adopting by the farmers for sowing their crops. The
old type of agriculture implements still in vogue in the district are cotton
drill, thirphali, S S plough, disc harrow, seed-cum-fertilizer, drill, wheel
hand hoe, sickle, etc. All out efforts are being made by the Agriculture
Department and Punjab Agricultural University to make the modern agricultural
implements popular through the mass media, i.e. radio and television and
through the field staff who personally contact the farmers.
The number of tube-wells and pumping-sets, etc. in the
district was 94,648 in 1985-86, which increased upto 1,00,378 in 1986-87.
Likewise tractors are also becoming very popular because of its multipurpose
use. Their number in the district increased from 13,302 in 1980-81 to 26,682 in
1988-89.
Seeds.-- One of the basic input for increasing the
agriculture production is good quality seed. The Government of India has laid
down norms according to which a seed should be replaced after 3-4 years. To intensify
the seed suply to the farmers, the State Government has set up Punjab Seed
Corporation and the State Seed Certification Authority. Besides, a number of
schemes have been introduced to provide seed, seedlings and plants to the
farmers which give higher yield. The National Seed Corporation and a number of
private agencies also assist the farmer in the supply and distribution of
various types of seeds.
The Punjab Improved seed and seedlings Act, 1950 provides
for the use of pure seeds and seedlings recommended by the department of
Agriculture and makes it incumbent on the cultivator in any notified areas to
use only improved varieties of seeds stored by the authorised agents.
Seed
Farms.-- There are three seed
farms in the district, viz. Tarain Seed Farm, Bara Seed Farm and Shamsher Nagar
Seed Farm. Tarain Seed Farm which is spread over 50 acres is located near
Dakala in Patiala Block. Wheat and paddy crops are generally grow at this seed
farm. Bara Seed farm is in an area of 23 acres, 2 kanals and 6 marlas. It is located near Sirhind. Paddy wheat
and oilseed crops like gobhi sarson and sun-flowers as well as toria are grown
at this farm. Shamsher Nagar Seed Farm is in area of 25 acres, 2 kanals and 8
marlas. It is also located in Sirhind Block. Wheat Paddy and oilseed crops like
gobhi sarson toria and arhar are grown at this farm.
High Yielding Varieties.-- High yielding varieties of crop
sown in the district are given below :
Wheat :
WL 711, WL 1562, WL 5023, HD 2009, WG 357, Sonalika,
KSML-3
Rice : IR 8, PR 106, Jaya, Basmati
Maize : Ageti 76, Ganga No. 5, Vijay
The area under high yielding varieties of wheat, paddy and
maize during 1988-89 was 320 thousand hectares, 246 thousand hectares and 5
thousand hectares, respectively.
The percentage of area under high yielding varieties to
the total cropped area in the Patiala District for wheat, paddy and maize
during the year 1982-83 to 1988-89 is given below :
Name of crop Year
1982-83
1983-84 1984-85 1985-86
1986-87 1987-88 1988-89
Wheat 100 100 100 100
100 100 100
Paddy 95 94 100 98
95 95 97
Maize 80 64
60 65 57 27
39
( Source : Chief Agriculture Officer,
Patiala )
Crop
Rotation - Crop rotation is another
measure of increasing the fertility of soil. Farmers adopt crop rotation
according to the type of soil. This rotation differs from district to district.
The crop rotation
followed in the Patiala District is paddy -wheat-cotton-wheat.
Fallow
Cultivation - Although this is also a
measure of increasing the fertility of soils, the method of fallow cultivation
is slowly waning. In 1988-89, only 10,000 hectares were left as fallow land in
the district. The area under fallow land is falling due to the adoption of
scientific, increasing use of chemical fertilizers and decrease in per capita
holding on account of the increasing load of population.
Fertilizers
and Manures.-- After every harvesting,
the soil loses its fertility and becomes deficient in certain nutrients such as
nitrogen phosphorus and potassium. To make good this loss of nutrients, the
application of fertilizer become essential. Application of these inputs are
essential to improve the fertility of the soil.
Chemical
Fertilizers
The important nutrients required by crops in abundant
quantities are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Chemical fertilizers are
applied to the soil because it becomes generally deficient in on eor more
nutrients. This helps in raising the fertility of the land. To know the
deficiency of the particular nutrients of the soil of a particular area,
MARKFED and Agriculture Department have set up laboratories at various places
where the farmer can get the samples of soil tested and apply that chemical
fertilizer in which it is found deficient.
The following table shows the use of chemical fertilizers
in the district, during 1981-82 to 1988-89 :-
Year Fertilizers
used
(
'000' nutrients tonnes)
1981-82 -
1982-83 -
1983-84 100
1984-85 109
1985-86 112
1986-87 115
1987-88 117
1988-89 119
( Statistical Abstracts of Punjab, 1984 to 1989 )
Local
Manurial Resources
Rural
Compost and Cattle-Dung Manure.-- Compost is
a very useful organic manure for increasing fertility of the soil. It contains
micro-nutreients in addition to major nutrients which are most essential
particularly for high-yielding varieties.About 50 per cent of compost in the
rural areas is wasted as fuel in the form of dung cakes since the farming
community is not fully aware of its importance . It consists mainly of
vegetable substances mixed with animal dung and urine. It, therefore , contains
all the elements present in the plant itself and provides an appropriate
additive to the soil for restroring the ingredients removed from it by the
crop. In view of the importance of this manure, Government has launched a compaign
to make the best use of farm yard manure and other wastes. The East punjab
Conservation of Manures Act, 1949 (1950 Amendment), provides for the setting up
of manure conservation committees and empowers the State Government to notify
particular areas for the purpose of conserving manure and makes it incumbent on
cultivators to take such measures as may be necessary for the purpose. The
rural compost scheme was made permanent in the State in October 1966. The rural
compost prepared inthe district, during 1980-81 to 1988-89 is given below:
Green
Manuring:---- Green manuring is a
method of improving fertility by adding nitrogen from plants direstly into the
soil. This practice improves the soil texture by the addition of human or
organic matter. Further, it creates better conditions for the increase of
useful bacteria in the soil. The water holding capacity of soil also increases.
The locally popular green manure crops are guara or cluster been dhaincha and
saun hemp.
The scheme for the extension of green manuring in the State
was introduced in April 1961.The total area under green manuring in the
district, during 1980-81to 1988-89 is given below:
Town Compost.----- Urban wastes are a potential sources of plant
food ingredients . The Town Compost Scheme was introduced in the State in 1944.
Under this Scheme, all town wastes are collected and allowed to decompose in
trenches, yielding organic manure of high quality of town compost prepared by
the municipalities in the district, during 1980-81 to 1988-89 , is giver below:
Sullage Utilization. ---- The water as well as the plant nutrients and
organic matters supplied by sewage or sullage is highly useful for almost all
crops. The benefit derived nutrients and organic matter supplied by the sevage.
It is easily available for field in the vicinity of towns.