MULTAN:Agriculture experts Tuesday emphasized on importance of balanced application of fertilizers to get enhanced per acre yield from cotton and described soil analysis as the only way to know the needs of soil before investing on fertilizers to save resources.
Agriculture spokesman said that balanced application of fertilizers can improve cotton production by around 25-30 per cent and asked farmers to get soil analyzed and apply fertilizers as advised by local agriculture officials in the light of analysis report.
He said that main districts where cotton is grown included Multan, Khanewal, Vehari, Lodhran, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh, Layyah, Sahiwal, and Rahim Yar Khan. He said that in these areas where farmers have weaker land, they should apply 1.75 bags of DAP, 3.5 bags of Urea, 1.5 bags of SOP or 1.25 bags of MOP per acre. However, in case of fertile land in these areas, farmers can apply 1.25 bags of DAP, three bags of Urea, 1.5 bags of SOP or 1.25 bags of MOP.
He said that in secondary cotton areas including Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Bakhar, Mianwali, Kasur, Okara and Pakpattan, weak fertile land should get 1.75 bags of DAP, 3.25 bags of Urea, 1.25 bags of SOP or a bag of MOP per acre. The medium fertile land should get 1.5 bags of DAP, three bags of Urea, 1.25 bags of SOP or a bag of MOP. In fertile land, farmers should apply 1.25 bags of DAP, 2.5 bags of Urea, 1.25 bags of SOP or a bag of MOP.
Farmers should use full quantity of Phosphorous and Potassium fertilizers at the time of sowing, however, Nitrogenous fertilizers should be applied in instalments, the spokesman said adding that one-third be applied at the time of sowing, another one-third at buds stage and the rest at the flowering stage.