MULTAN                  -                 Agriculture experts have advised farmers to get their soil samples analysed from laboratories set up at district level as it will enable them prepare the land in accordance with crop and soil needs for obtaining a higher yield.   In a statement issued by media liaison unit of Punjab agriculture department, experts said that soil analysis can unveil necessary information like salinity, crop access to Nitrogen, micronutrient including Potash, Zinc, Boron, presence of organic material, PH value of soil and availability of gypsum.

 This useful information can help farmers apply only the needed quantity of fertilizers and micronutrient and adopt proper measures to get good production results.  Giving tips on how to collect sample from a acre of field for analysis, experts said that farmers should collect samples from different parts of the field and then mix them to get a compound sample. They said that cotton farmers should dig down from zero to 30 cm deep and collect five to twenty five (25) samples from a cotton field and then mix all these to get a compound sample. This compound sample, upon analysis, can give average fertility of the land. Farmers should first prepare a map of the field showing all details prominently. Samples should be collected from spaces away from the road, trees, heaps of fertilizers and houses. Samples of saline areas should be collected separately. After getting the samples analyzed, farmers should then consult agriculture officials and follow their guidelines to get good production.