Applying chemical and organic fertilizer together will give good yield – Experts

A group of retired agriculture experts in Anuradhapura said that applying chemical fertilizer do not provide a good harvest but will result in infertility of the soil and many other environmental devastation.

They said that instead, chemical fertilizer should be used mixed with organic fertilizer for a good yield. They said that farmers should be encouraged to use organic fertilizer along with chemical fertilizer rather than forcing them to use only organic fertilizer.

“The Government provided the farmers with subsidised fertilizer that contains Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. The farmers should be instructed to apply these three nutrients mixed with substantial quota of organic fertilizer. The chemical fertilizer mixed with these three ingredients will decrease the fertility in the soil gradually. The best methodology is to apply organic fertilizer from season to season, adding animal dung, straw, compost including organic fertilizer such as Gliricidia leaves. It has been scientifically proved that one kg of urea equivalent of nitrogen could be obtained from 50 kg of fresh Gricidia.

They said that in 1950, the Agriculture Department introduced chemical fertilizer for paddy mixed with a percentage of organic fertilizer. The farmers and other stakeholders either neglected or underestimated this proposal and created the irreparable infertility in the soil. The recent soil tests in the Dry Zone have revealed that the carbonic level in the soil has decreased to 2 per cent whereas it should be more than 5 per cent for gaining a fertile yielding. ''We want both organic and chemical fertilizer in cultivation,” they said.

“There should be a regulatory mechanism to ensure that in every season farmers use 2,000 kg of organic and compost fertilizer to an acre of paddy. Setting fire to straw should be stopped. There should be a very close tie between the paddy farmer and the farmer in the animal husbandry for providing organic fertilizer for cultivation. This fertilizer culture will furnish the soil with all 16 nutrients such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen Nitrogen, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Sulphate , Clorine , Iron, Manganese, Boron zinc and Copper,” they said.

“Therefore, the ban on chemical fertilizer should be reconsidered and a scientific agriculture method should be implemented. The required quantity of chemical and organic fertilizer could be manufactured locally,” he said.

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