MULTAN - Agriculture experts have advised farmers to sow salinity-resistant paddy varieties on saline land to get better paddy production.
In a release issued by media liaison unit of Punjab agriculture department here Friday, the experts said that thick rice varieties including KS-282, KS-133 and Niab Irri-9 while Basmati varieties including Basmati-385 and Basmati Shaheen can yield better production if sown on saline land with proper soil treatment.
In case of excess quantity of soluble minerals in soil, then farmers should keep water standing in the field for a week before shifting the nursery.In this way the minerals would go down in the soil with water.
In case of black salinity, farmers should apply gypsum before shifting nursery. Farmers should utilize Sulphuric acid in place of gypsum in case of partial saline land to get better results.
Crop growth stops after two weeks in case of excess black salinity of soil.If the whole field is affected by this phenomenon,then farmers should apply 50 kilogram of Sulphuric acid with water through water channels, stated the release.
In case the affected field is divided into small segments then farmers should sprinkle solution of 20 portions of water with a portion of Sulphuric acid to trigger crop growth.
Farmers should put at least four saplings in a hole during shifting of nursery. The dead saplings should be replaced by newer ones within a week. Ammonium Sulphate be applied to provide Nitrogen to the soil,while Single Super Phosphate be applied to give phosphorous to soil,the release concluded.