PAU LAUNCHES LEAF COLOUR CHART AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

Ludhiana, May 24, 2017: The Department of Soil Science, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), in association with Atam Pargas Social Welfare Council adopted village Mirjapur at Pathankot district to develop it as a model village for need-based fertilizer nitrogen management using leaf colour chart (LCC). The village adoption day was organized at Government Primary School, Mirjapur with the help of Krishi Vigyan Kendra and Farm Advisory Service Centre (FASC), Pathankot.

Dr B.S. Brar, Head, Department of Soil Science, said the team of PAU scientists would work for a year in the village to educate the farmers about LCC-based management of nitrogen fertilizers in the crops and village would be developed as a role model for Punjab.

Dr Varinderpal Singh, an expert of soil science, educated the farmers about the LCC based fertilizer nitrogen management in rice and maize. Discussing the harmful effects of excessive urea application, he said the excessively applied fertilizer urea does not increase the yield rather escapes to atmosphere and causes pollution. Excessive urea application also increases insect-pest incidence and leads to consumption of high doses of insecticides and pesticides that further increase the cost of production and also deteriorate the quality of the produce.

Dr Seema, Assistant Professor of Soil Science, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Pathankot and Dr Amit Kaul, District Extension Specialist, FASC, Pathankot also educated the farmers about successful cultivation of kharif crops. The LCCs were distributed to all the farmers of the village free of cost with the support of Cambridge India Network for Transitional Research in Nitrogen (CINTRIN) project.

Dr Nachhattar Singh, Director, Atam Pargas Social Welfare Council and Ex-Vice Chancellor, Guru Kashi University, Talwandi Sabo ensured financial support for the salary of whole time Field Assistant in the village Mirajpur.