Kerala - Thrissur

KAU opens soil test labs

Thrissur: A coordinated effort from all stakeholders is needed for the sustainable growth in food production, Kerala Agricultural University Vice-Chancellor K.R. Viswambaran has said. Speaking after inaugurating the referral laboratories for testing soil and water on Sunday he exhorted the farmers to give importance for conservation of natural resources while intensifying the farming activities.

Under the project funded by Kerala State Horticulture Mission, KAU has launched soil, water and tissue analysis facility at Radiotracer laboratory, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara and at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Pattambi. The labs would provide the farmers with facilities such as soil nutrient status assessment, water quality for irrigation and leaf analysis of different crops. Scientists say that Integrated Nutrient Management with need-based application of manures improve efficiency of applied inputs. There are situations where the recommended quantity of fertilizers becomes insufficient in soils with low fertility.

“Such situation warrants location specific, soil test-based recommendations,” the scientists said. If soil test data were available, the farmer could have the options to choose the quantities of inputs, they said. So it was essential to develop fertility database at micro-level, especially for horticultural crops to make farming a profitable business.

At the referral labs soil would be tested for pH (measure of acidity of a solution), organic carbon, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur and micronutrients. The results of the analysis would be available within 15 days after the receipt of the samples.

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