Assistant Soil Fertility Officer, Bahawalpur

The fertility status of soils under cultivation is usually variable. It is affected by cultural practices like crop rotation, manuring, fertilizer application, irrigation and cropping system uptake of nutrients. Therefore, it is highly imperative to maintain fertility status of soils at appropriate level where nutrients are available to the growing plants in adequate quantities to harvest the actual potential of different crops. The intensive cropping has resulted in deficiencies and depletion of nutrients of various nutrients in the soils and has become a limiting factor for plant growth and optimum yields. It necessitates that these deficiencies be diagnosed promptly through soil testing, tissue analysis and field experimentation and replenished timely for obtaining optimum crop yields.
Simple fertilizer experimentation on farmers` fields is a well-established technique for diagnosing nutrient deficiencies in the soil and determining fertilizer needs of crops. In principle, this technique involves conducting trials on farmers` fields under varying agro-ecological conditions. This practices although is time consuming but remains the most reliable method of diagnosing nutrient deficiencies and finding out the fertilizer requirements of different crops.

Mission

To find out the macro and micronutrients requirements of different crops and to monitor the fertility status of soils under different cropping systems and indexation of nutrients and to appraise the best fertilizer combination according to the prevailing practice of tunnels growers.

Objectives

  • • To Monitor the fertility status of soils under different cropping systems and indexation of nutrients
  • • To assess the fertilizer response in different ecological zones/soil types in order to formulate economic fertilizer recommendations
  • • To evaluate comparative agronomic efficiency of different commercial fertilizers
  • • To find out appropriate time and method of Fertilizer Application in different cropping system
  • • To populize balance fertilizer use
  • • Indexation of plant nutrients in soil and plant tissue for monitoring resisting status
  • • To evaluate the comparative Agronomic Efficiency of different nutrient sources
  • • To find out the micronutrients requirements of different crops

Research Activities

  • • Nutritional studies on macro and micro elements
  • • On-Farm research on various crops for their nutrient requirements and development of fertilizer recommendation for different cropping system
  • • Improving Fertilizer Use Efficiency (FUE) to arrest losses and protect environment
  • • Establishing critical limits for essential plant nutrient elements
  • • Standardization of analytical techniques
  • • Nutrient Dynamics and their Indexation

Contact Us

Dr. Zafar Iqbal
Scientific Officer
Phone: 062-9255219
Address: Assistant Soil Fertility Officer, Soil and Water Testing Laboratory, Bahawalpur