Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 73
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Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
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Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
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Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 74
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Code Context
            if (Configure::read('debug')) {

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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater resources. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The water table has gone down alarmingly resulting in huge investment on installation of costly submersible pumps to draw water for irrigation. This does not auger well for sustainable agriculture. Despite the government measures to save water through delaying sowing of paddy crop for the last two seasons, there has been no perceptible improvement in the water table. Nothing is more certain than that continual cropping without the use of manure or compost deprives the soil of its fertility. It is equally certain that fertility may be preserved or restored by giving to the soil animal or vegetable manure equivalent to the matter taken from it. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Soils that have little or no addition of organic matter will gradually lose structure necessitating increased chemical fertilisation, cultivation and irrigation. Also without adequate application of organic matter in the shape of animal manure, green-manuring or composting, most nutrients get leached beyond the reach of plant roots eventually reaching the groundwater and pollute it. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;It is a fact that very few farmers apply animal manure or compost on their farms these days. You just go through a village periphery and you would find lots of garbage/ compost heaps lying alongside the ponds or vacant plots in abundance. A precious input matter is being wasted to pollute the environment instead of using it in restoring the fertility of soils. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The big question today is: who will bell the cat? The farmers need to be educated and trained on the huge benefits that would accrue by adopting this composting practice. They would also need technical guidance on suitable structures to prepare proper composting under existing conditions. A number of departments like agriculture, animal husbandry and rural development can play a significant role towards this end.&lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;There is a school of thought that considers these organisations as a white ant and indifferent towards the farming community and its problems. Therefore, the onus falls on a solitary body called village panchayat since they are the true representatives of the farmers. They can mobilise all the necessary resources required for their specific conditions and work with its community participation to achieve the desired results. This would not only save our soils from further depletion but would go a long way towards improving the deteriorating environment.&lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;During harvesting of paddy crop, Punjab&amp;rsquo;s atmosphere is awfully engulfed in smoke emanating from the burning of paddy stock in the fields. Mere enactment of laws by the government to ban this practice is not going to help unless some alternative methods to economically incorporate this valuable organic matter in the soil are put in place. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Burning of paddy stubs in the field also kills the useful micro-organism, which helps build the soul structure. It is a crime against society since it causes serious respiratory problems. Poor visibility on the roads leads to a lot of fatal accidents during this period. Absence of adequate amount of humus in soil results in non-availability of all the chemical fertilisers that is applied to the plants as some of the fertiliser leach into the ground water causing pollution. It is estimated that with proper composting and green manuring practices, the farmers can save at least a quarter of their expenses on chemical fertilisers, irrigation and cultivation. At present Punjab uses one quarter of total national chemical insecticides and pesticides. This is causing a lot of environmental and health problems for all living organisms. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Agricultural production has reached its plateau in Punjab. Some agriculturists are talking about diversification in agriculture without a complementary supporting marketing system in place. Thus, in Punjab&amp;rsquo;s long-term interest, a high level committee comprising eminent agronomist, soil scientists, microbiologists, hydrologists, geologists, veterinarians, Agriculture Secretary and a cross-section of progressive farmers be constituted to deliberate on these problems and make suitable recommendations to the government. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The state of soils, ground water, environment and agriculture in Punjab is already alarming. If immediate corrective measures were not taken, it would be too late to save Punjab&amp;rsquo;s agriculture and economy. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;The writer is a former Joint Director of Agriculture, Punjab &lt;br /&gt;
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WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater resources. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The water table has gone down alarmingly resulting in huge investment on installation of costly submersible pumps to draw water for irrigation. This does not auger well for sustainable agriculture. Despite the government measures to save water through delaying sowing of paddy crop for the last two seasons, there has been no perceptible improvement in the water table. 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You just go through a village periphery and you would find lots of garbage/ compost heaps lying alongside the ponds or vacant plots in abundance. A precious input matter is being wasted to pollute the environment instead of using it in restoring the fertility of soils. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The big question today is: who will bell the cat? The farmers need to be educated and trained on the huge benefits that would accrue by adopting this composting practice. They would also need technical guidance on suitable structures to prepare proper composting under existing conditions. A number of departments like agriculture, animal husbandry and rural development can play a significant role towards this end.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;There is a school of thought that considers these organisations as a white ant and indifferent towards the farming community and its problems. Therefore, the onus falls on a solitary body called village panchayat since they are the true representatives of the farmers. They can mobilise all the necessary resources required for their specific conditions and work with its community participation to achieve the desired results. This would not only save our soils from further depletion but would go a long way towards improving the deteriorating environment.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;During harvesting of paddy crop, Punjab&amp;rsquo;s atmosphere is awfully engulfed in smoke emanating from the burning of paddy stock in the fields. 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At present Punjab uses one quarter of total national chemical insecticides and pesticides. This is causing a lot of environmental and health problems for all living organisms. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Agricultural production has reached its plateau in Punjab. Some agriculturists are talking about diversification in agriculture without a complementary supporting marketing system in place. Thus, in Punjab&amp;rsquo;s long-term interest, a high level committee comprising eminent agronomist, soil scientists, microbiologists, hydrologists, geologists, veterinarians, Agriculture Secretary and a cross-section of progressive farmers be constituted to deliberate on these problems and make suitable recommendations to the government. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The state of soils, ground water, environment and agriculture in Punjab is already alarming. 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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater resources. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The water table has gone down alarmingly resulting in huge investment on installation of costly submersible pumps to draw water for irrigation. This does not auger well for sustainable agriculture. Despite the government measures to save water through delaying sowing of paddy crop for the last two seasons, there has been no perceptible improvement in the water table. Nothing is more certain than that continual cropping without the use of manure or compost deprives the soil of its fertility. It is equally certain that fertility may be preserved or restored by giving to the soil animal or vegetable manure equivalent to the matter taken from it. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Soils that have little or no addition of organic matter will gradually lose structure necessitating increased chemical fertilisation, cultivation and irrigation. Also without adequate application of organic matter in the shape of animal manure, green-manuring or composting, most nutrients get leached beyond the reach of plant roots eventually reaching the groundwater and pollute it. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;It is a fact that very few farmers apply animal manure or compost on their farms these days. You just go through a village periphery and you would find lots of garbage/ compost heaps lying alongside the ponds or vacant plots in abundance. A precious input matter is being wasted to pollute the environment instead of using it in restoring the fertility of soils. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The big question today is: who will bell the cat? The farmers need to be educated and trained on the huge benefits that would accrue by adopting this composting practice. They would also need technical guidance on suitable structures to prepare proper composting under existing conditions. A number of departments like agriculture, animal husbandry and rural development can play a significant role towards this end.&lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;There is a school of thought that considers these organisations as a white ant and indifferent towards the farming community and its problems. Therefore, the onus falls on a solitary body called village panchayat since they are the true representatives of the farmers. They can mobilise all the necessary resources required for their specific conditions and work with its community participation to achieve the desired results. This would not only save our soils from further depletion but would go a long way towards improving the deteriorating environment.&lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;During harvesting of paddy crop, Punjab&amp;rsquo;s atmosphere is awfully engulfed in smoke emanating from the burning of paddy stock in the fields. Mere enactment of laws by the government to ban this practice is not going to help unless some alternative methods to economically incorporate this valuable organic matter in the soil are put in place. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Burning of paddy stubs in the field also kills the useful micro-organism, which helps build the soul structure. It is a crime against society since it causes serious respiratory problems. Poor visibility on the roads leads to a lot of fatal accidents during this period. Absence of adequate amount of humus in soil results in non-availability of all the chemical fertilisers that is applied to the plants as some of the fertiliser leach into the ground water causing pollution. It is estimated that with proper composting and green manuring practices, the farmers can save at least a quarter of their expenses on chemical fertilisers, irrigation and cultivation. At present Punjab uses one quarter of total national chemical insecticides and pesticides. This is causing a lot of environmental and health problems for all living organisms. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Agricultural production has reached its plateau in Punjab. Some agriculturists are talking about diversification in agriculture without a complementary supporting marketing system in place. Thus, in Punjab&amp;rsquo;s long-term interest, a high level committee comprising eminent agronomist, soil scientists, microbiologists, hydrologists, geologists, veterinarians, Agriculture Secretary and a cross-section of progressive farmers be constituted to deliberate on these problems and make suitable recommendations to the government. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The state of soils, ground water, environment and agriculture in Punjab is already alarming. If immediate corrective measures were not taken, it would be too late to save Punjab&amp;rsquo;s agriculture and economy. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;The writer is a former Joint Director of Agriculture, Punjab &lt;br /&gt;
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WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater...&#039;
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Poor visibility on the roads leads to a lot of fatal accidents during this period. Absence of adequate amount of humus in soil results in non-availability of all the chemical fertilisers that is applied to the plants as some of the fertiliser leach into the ground water causing pollution. It is estimated that with proper composting and green manuring practices, the farmers can save at least a quarter of their expenses on chemical fertilisers, irrigation and cultivation. At present Punjab uses one quarter of total national chemical insecticides and pesticides. This is causing a lot of environmental and health problems for all living organisms. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Agricultural production has reached its plateau in Punjab. Some agriculturists are talking about diversification in agriculture without a complementary supporting marketing system in place. 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WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater..."/>
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                <strong>Restoring soil fertility in Punjab by Hardial Singh Dhillon</strong></h1>
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                <p align="justify"><font ></font></p><p align="justify"><font >WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater resources. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The water table has gone down alarmingly resulting in huge investment on installation of costly submersible pumps to draw water for irrigation. This does not auger well for sustainable agriculture. Despite the government measures to save water through delaying sowing of paddy crop for the last two seasons, there has been no perceptible improvement in the water table. Nothing is more certain than that continual cropping without the use of manure or compost deprives the soil of its fertility. It is equally certain that fertility may be preserved or restored by giving to the soil animal or vegetable manure equivalent to the matter taken from it. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Soils that have little or no addition of organic matter will gradually lose structure necessitating increased chemical fertilisation, cultivation and irrigation. Also without adequate application of organic matter in the shape of animal manure, green-manuring or composting, most nutrients get leached beyond the reach of plant roots eventually reaching the groundwater and pollute it. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >It is a fact that very few farmers apply animal manure or compost on their farms these days. You just go through a village periphery and you would find lots of garbage/ compost heaps lying alongside the ponds or vacant plots in abundance. A precious input matter is being wasted to pollute the environment instead of using it in restoring the fertility of soils. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The big question today is: who will bell the cat? The farmers need to be educated and trained on the huge benefits that would accrue by adopting this composting practice. They would also need technical guidance on suitable structures to prepare proper composting under existing conditions. A number of departments like agriculture, animal husbandry and rural development can play a significant role towards this end.</font></p><p align="justify"><font >There is a school of thought that considers these organisations as a white ant and indifferent towards the farming community and its problems. Therefore, the onus falls on a solitary body called village panchayat since they are the true representatives of the farmers. They can mobilise all the necessary resources required for their specific conditions and work with its community participation to achieve the desired results. This would not only save our soils from further depletion but would go a long way towards improving the deteriorating environment.</font></p><p align="justify"><font >During harvesting of paddy crop, Punjab&rsquo;s atmosphere is awfully engulfed in smoke emanating from the burning of paddy stock in the fields. Mere enactment of laws by the government to ban this practice is not going to help unless some alternative methods to economically incorporate this valuable organic matter in the soil are put in place. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Burning of paddy stubs in the field also kills the useful micro-organism, which helps build the soul structure. It is a crime against society since it causes serious respiratory problems. Poor visibility on the roads leads to a lot of fatal accidents during this period. Absence of adequate amount of humus in soil results in non-availability of all the chemical fertilisers that is applied to the plants as some of the fertiliser leach into the ground water causing pollution. It is estimated that with proper composting and green manuring practices, the farmers can save at least a quarter of their expenses on chemical fertilisers, irrigation and cultivation. At present Punjab uses one quarter of total national chemical insecticides and pesticides. This is causing a lot of environmental and health problems for all living organisms. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Agricultural production has reached its plateau in Punjab. Some agriculturists are talking about diversification in agriculture without a complementary supporting marketing system in place. Thus, in Punjab&rsquo;s long-term interest, a high level committee comprising eminent agronomist, soil scientists, microbiologists, hydrologists, geologists, veterinarians, Agriculture Secretary and a cross-section of progressive farmers be constituted to deliberate on these problems and make suitable recommendations to the government. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The state of soils, ground water, environment and agriculture in Punjab is already alarming. If immediate corrective measures were not taken, it would be too late to save Punjab&rsquo;s agriculture and economy. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>The writer is a former Joint Director of Agriculture, Punjab <br /></em></font></p>               </font>
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater resources. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The water table has gone down alarmingly resulting in huge investment on installation of costly submersible pumps to draw water for irrigation. This does not auger well for sustainable agriculture. Despite the government measures to save water through delaying sowing of paddy crop for the last two seasons, there has been no perceptible improvement in the water table. Nothing is more certain than that continual cropping without the use of manure or compost deprives the soil of its fertility. It is equally certain that fertility may be preserved or restored by giving to the soil animal or vegetable manure equivalent to the matter taken from it. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Soils that have little or no addition of organic matter will gradually lose structure necessitating increased chemical fertilisation, cultivation and irrigation. Also without adequate application of organic matter in the shape of animal manure, green-manuring or composting, most nutrients get leached beyond the reach of plant roots eventually reaching the groundwater and pollute it. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;It is a fact that very few farmers apply animal manure or compost on their farms these days. You just go through a village periphery and you would find lots of garbage/ compost heaps lying alongside the ponds or vacant plots in abundance. A precious input matter is being wasted to pollute the environment instead of using it in restoring the fertility of soils. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The big question today is: who will bell the cat? The farmers need to be educated and trained on the huge benefits that would accrue by adopting this composting practice. They would also need technical guidance on suitable structures to prepare proper composting under existing conditions. A number of departments like agriculture, animal husbandry and rural development can play a significant role towards this end.&lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;There is a school of thought that considers these organisations as a white ant and indifferent towards the farming community and its problems. Therefore, the onus falls on a solitary body called village panchayat since they are the true representatives of the farmers. They can mobilise all the necessary resources required for their specific conditions and work with its community participation to achieve the desired results. This would not only save our soils from further depletion but would go a long way towards improving the deteriorating environment.&lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;During harvesting of paddy crop, Punjab&amp;rsquo;s atmosphere is awfully engulfed in smoke emanating from the burning of paddy stock in the fields. Mere enactment of laws by the government to ban this practice is not going to help unless some alternative methods to economically incorporate this valuable organic matter in the soil are put in place. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Burning of paddy stubs in the field also kills the useful micro-organism, which helps build the soul structure. It is a crime against society since it causes serious respiratory problems. Poor visibility on the roads leads to a lot of fatal accidents during this period. Absence of adequate amount of humus in soil results in non-availability of all the chemical fertilisers that is applied to the plants as some of the fertiliser leach into the ground water causing pollution. It is estimated that with proper composting and green manuring practices, the farmers can save at least a quarter of their expenses on chemical fertilisers, irrigation and cultivation. At present Punjab uses one quarter of total national chemical insecticides and pesticides. This is causing a lot of environmental and health problems for all living organisms. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Agricultural production has reached its plateau in Punjab. Some agriculturists are talking about diversification in agriculture without a complementary supporting marketing system in place. Thus, in Punjab&amp;rsquo;s long-term interest, a high level committee comprising eminent agronomist, soil scientists, microbiologists, hydrologists, geologists, veterinarians, Agriculture Secretary and a cross-section of progressive farmers be constituted to deliberate on these problems and make suitable recommendations to the government. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The state of soils, ground water, environment and agriculture in Punjab is already alarming. If immediate corrective measures were not taken, it would be too late to save Punjab&amp;rsquo;s agriculture and economy. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;The writer is a former Joint Director of Agriculture, Punjab &lt;br /&gt;
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WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater resources. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The water table has gone down alarmingly resulting in huge investment on installation of costly submersible pumps to draw water for irrigation. This does not auger well for sustainable agriculture. Despite the government measures to save water through delaying sowing of paddy crop for the last two seasons, there has been no perceptible improvement in the water table. Nothing is more certain than that continual cropping without the use of manure or compost deprives the soil of its fertility. It is equally certain that fertility may be preserved or restored by giving to the soil animal or vegetable manure equivalent to the matter taken from it. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Soils that have little or no addition of organic matter will gradually lose structure necessitating increased chemical fertilisation, cultivation and irrigation. Also without adequate application of organic matter in the shape of animal manure, green-manuring or composting, most nutrients get leached beyond the reach of plant roots eventually reaching the groundwater and pollute it. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;It is a fact that very few farmers apply animal manure or compost on their farms these days. You just go through a village periphery and you would find lots of garbage/ compost heaps lying alongside the ponds or vacant plots in abundance. A precious input matter is being wasted to pollute the environment instead of using it in restoring the fertility of soils. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The big question today is: who will bell the cat? The farmers need to be educated and trained on the huge benefits that would accrue by adopting this composting practice. They would also need technical guidance on suitable structures to prepare proper composting under existing conditions. A number of departments like agriculture, animal husbandry and rural development can play a significant role towards this end.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;There is a school of thought that considers these organisations as a white ant and indifferent towards the farming community and its problems. Therefore, the onus falls on a solitary body called village panchayat since they are the true representatives of the farmers. They can mobilise all the necessary resources required for their specific conditions and work with its community participation to achieve the desired results. This would not only save our soils from further depletion but would go a long way towards improving the deteriorating environment.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;During harvesting of paddy crop, Punjab&amp;rsquo;s atmosphere is awfully engulfed in smoke emanating from the burning of paddy stock in the fields. Mere enactment of laws by the government to ban this practice is not going to help unless some alternative methods to economically incorporate this valuable organic matter in the soil are put in place. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Burning of paddy stubs in the field also kills the useful micro-organism, which helps build the soul structure. It is a crime against society since it causes serious respiratory problems. Poor visibility on the roads leads to a lot of fatal accidents during this period. Absence of adequate amount of humus in soil results in non-availability of all the chemical fertilisers that is applied to the plants as some of the fertiliser leach into the ground water causing pollution. It is estimated that with proper composting and green manuring practices, the farmers can save at least a quarter of their expenses on chemical fertilisers, irrigation and cultivation. At present Punjab uses one quarter of total national chemical insecticides and pesticides. This is causing a lot of environmental and health problems for all living organisms. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Agricultural production has reached its plateau in Punjab. Some agriculturists are talking about diversification in agriculture without a complementary supporting marketing system in place. Thus, in Punjab&amp;rsquo;s long-term interest, a high level committee comprising eminent agronomist, soil scientists, microbiologists, hydrologists, geologists, veterinarians, Agriculture Secretary and a cross-section of progressive farmers be constituted to deliberate on these problems and make suitable recommendations to the government. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The state of soils, ground water, environment and agriculture in Punjab is already alarming. If immediate corrective measures were not taken, it would be too late to save Punjab&amp;rsquo;s agriculture and economy. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;The writer is a former Joint Director of Agriculture, Punjab &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#039;,
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	&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;Restoring soil fertility in Punjab by Hardial Singh Dhillon&#039;,
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater resources. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The water table has gone down alarmingly resulting in huge investment on installation of costly submersible pumps to draw water for irrigation. This does not auger well for sustainable agriculture. Despite the government measures to save water through delaying sowing of paddy crop for the last two seasons, there has been no perceptible improvement in the water table. Nothing is more certain than that continual cropping without the use of manure or compost deprives the soil of its fertility. It is equally certain that fertility may be preserved or restored by giving to the soil animal or vegetable manure equivalent to the matter taken from it. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Soils that have little or no addition of organic matter will gradually lose structure necessitating increased chemical fertilisation, cultivation and irrigation. Also without adequate application of organic matter in the shape of animal manure, green-manuring or composting, most nutrients get leached beyond the reach of plant roots eventually reaching the groundwater and pollute it. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;It is a fact that very few farmers apply animal manure or compost on their farms these days. You just go through a village periphery and you would find lots of garbage/ compost heaps lying alongside the ponds or vacant plots in abundance. A precious input matter is being wasted to pollute the environment instead of using it in restoring the fertility of soils. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The big question today is: who will bell the cat? The farmers need to be educated and trained on the huge benefits that would accrue by adopting this composting practice. They would also need technical guidance on suitable structures to prepare proper composting under existing conditions. A number of departments like agriculture, animal husbandry and rural development can play a significant role towards this end.&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;There is a school of thought that considers these organisations as a white ant and indifferent towards the farming community and its problems. Therefore, the onus falls on a solitary body called village panchayat since they are the true representatives of the farmers. They can mobilise all the necessary resources required for their specific conditions and work with its community participation to achieve the desired results. This would not only save our soils from further depletion but would go a long way towards improving the deteriorating environment.&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;During harvesting of paddy crop, Punjab&amp;rsquo;s atmosphere is awfully engulfed in smoke emanating from the burning of paddy stock in the fields. Mere enactment of laws by the government to ban this practice is not going to help unless some alternative methods to economically incorporate this valuable organic matter in the soil are put in place. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Burning of paddy stubs in the field also kills the useful micro-organism, which helps build the soul structure. It is a crime against society since it causes serious respiratory problems. Poor visibility on the roads leads to a lot of fatal accidents during this period. Absence of adequate amount of humus in soil results in non-availability of all the chemical fertilisers that is applied to the plants as some of the fertiliser leach into the ground water causing pollution. It is estimated that with proper composting and green manuring practices, the farmers can save at least a quarter of their expenses on chemical fertilisers, irrigation and cultivation. At present Punjab uses one quarter of total national chemical insecticides and pesticides. This is causing a lot of environmental and health problems for all living organisms. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Agricultural production has reached its plateau in Punjab. Some agriculturists are talking about diversification in agriculture without a complementary supporting marketing system in place. Thus, in Punjab&amp;rsquo;s long-term interest, a high level committee comprising eminent agronomist, soil scientists, microbiologists, hydrologists, geologists, veterinarians, Agriculture Secretary and a cross-section of progressive farmers be constituted to deliberate on these problems and make suitable recommendations to the government. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The state of soils, ground water, environment and agriculture in Punjab is already alarming. If immediate corrective measures were not taken, it would be too late to save Punjab&amp;rsquo;s agriculture and economy. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;The writer is a former Joint Director of Agriculture, Punjab &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
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WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater...&#039;
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                <strong>Restoring soil fertility in Punjab by Hardial Singh Dhillon</strong></h1>
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        <td width="100%" style="font-family:Arial, 'Segoe Script', 'Segoe UI', sans-serif, serif"><font size="3">
                <p align="justify"><font ></font></p><p align="justify"><font >WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater resources. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The water table has gone down alarmingly resulting in huge investment on installation of costly submersible pumps to draw water for irrigation. This does not auger well for sustainable agriculture. Despite the government measures to save water through delaying sowing of paddy crop for the last two seasons, there has been no perceptible improvement in the water table. Nothing is more certain than that continual cropping without the use of manure or compost deprives the soil of its fertility. It is equally certain that fertility may be preserved or restored by giving to the soil animal or vegetable manure equivalent to the matter taken from it. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Soils that have little or no addition of organic matter will gradually lose structure necessitating increased chemical fertilisation, cultivation and irrigation. Also without adequate application of organic matter in the shape of animal manure, green-manuring or composting, most nutrients get leached beyond the reach of plant roots eventually reaching the groundwater and pollute it. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >It is a fact that very few farmers apply animal manure or compost on their farms these days. You just go through a village periphery and you would find lots of garbage/ compost heaps lying alongside the ponds or vacant plots in abundance. A precious input matter is being wasted to pollute the environment instead of using it in restoring the fertility of soils. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The big question today is: who will bell the cat? The farmers need to be educated and trained on the huge benefits that would accrue by adopting this composting practice. They would also need technical guidance on suitable structures to prepare proper composting under existing conditions. A number of departments like agriculture, animal husbandry and rural development can play a significant role towards this end.</font></p><p align="justify"><font >There is a school of thought that considers these organisations as a white ant and indifferent towards the farming community and its problems. Therefore, the onus falls on a solitary body called village panchayat since they are the true representatives of the farmers. They can mobilise all the necessary resources required for their specific conditions and work with its community participation to achieve the desired results. This would not only save our soils from further depletion but would go a long way towards improving the deteriorating environment.</font></p><p align="justify"><font >During harvesting of paddy crop, Punjab&rsquo;s atmosphere is awfully engulfed in smoke emanating from the burning of paddy stock in the fields. Mere enactment of laws by the government to ban this practice is not going to help unless some alternative methods to economically incorporate this valuable organic matter in the soil are put in place. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Burning of paddy stubs in the field also kills the useful micro-organism, which helps build the soul structure. It is a crime against society since it causes serious respiratory problems. Poor visibility on the roads leads to a lot of fatal accidents during this period. Absence of adequate amount of humus in soil results in non-availability of all the chemical fertilisers that is applied to the plants as some of the fertiliser leach into the ground water causing pollution. It is estimated that with proper composting and green manuring practices, the farmers can save at least a quarter of their expenses on chemical fertilisers, irrigation and cultivation. At present Punjab uses one quarter of total national chemical insecticides and pesticides. This is causing a lot of environmental and health problems for all living organisms. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Agricultural production has reached its plateau in Punjab. Some agriculturists are talking about diversification in agriculture without a complementary supporting marketing system in place. Thus, in Punjab&rsquo;s long-term interest, a high level committee comprising eminent agronomist, soil scientists, microbiologists, hydrologists, geologists, veterinarians, Agriculture Secretary and a cross-section of progressive farmers be constituted to deliberate on these problems and make suitable recommendations to the government. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The state of soils, ground water, environment and agriculture in Punjab is already alarming. If immediate corrective measures were not taken, it would be too late to save Punjab&rsquo;s agriculture and economy. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>The writer is a former Joint Director of Agriculture, Punjab <br /></em></font></p>               </font>
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater resources. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The water table has gone down alarmingly resulting in huge investment on installation of costly submersible pumps to draw water for irrigation. This does not auger well for sustainable agriculture. Despite the government measures to save water through delaying sowing of paddy crop for the last two seasons, there has been no perceptible improvement in the water table. Nothing is more certain than that continual cropping without the use of manure or compost deprives the soil of its fertility. It is equally certain that fertility may be preserved or restored by giving to the soil animal or vegetable manure equivalent to the matter taken from it. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Soils that have little or no addition of organic matter will gradually lose structure necessitating increased chemical fertilisation, cultivation and irrigation. Also without adequate application of organic matter in the shape of animal manure, green-manuring or composting, most nutrients get leached beyond the reach of plant roots eventually reaching the groundwater and pollute it. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;It is a fact that very few farmers apply animal manure or compost on their farms these days. You just go through a village periphery and you would find lots of garbage/ compost heaps lying alongside the ponds or vacant plots in abundance. A precious input matter is being wasted to pollute the environment instead of using it in restoring the fertility of soils. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The big question today is: who will bell the cat? The farmers need to be educated and trained on the huge benefits that would accrue by adopting this composting practice. They would also need technical guidance on suitable structures to prepare proper composting under existing conditions. A number of departments like agriculture, animal husbandry and rural development can play a significant role towards this end.&lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;There is a school of thought that considers these organisations as a white ant and indifferent towards the farming community and its problems. Therefore, the onus falls on a solitary body called village panchayat since they are the true representatives of the farmers. They can mobilise all the necessary resources required for their specific conditions and work with its community participation to achieve the desired results. This would not only save our soils from further depletion but would go a long way towards improving the deteriorating environment.&lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;During harvesting of paddy crop, Punjab&amp;rsquo;s atmosphere is awfully engulfed in smoke emanating from the burning of paddy stock in the fields. Mere enactment of laws by the government to ban this practice is not going to help unless some alternative methods to economically incorporate this valuable organic matter in the soil are put in place. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Burning of paddy stubs in the field also kills the useful micro-organism, which helps build the soul structure. It is a crime against society since it causes serious respiratory problems. Poor visibility on the roads leads to a lot of fatal accidents during this period. Absence of adequate amount of humus in soil results in non-availability of all the chemical fertilisers that is applied to the plants as some of the fertiliser leach into the ground water causing pollution. It is estimated that with proper composting and green manuring practices, the farmers can save at least a quarter of their expenses on chemical fertilisers, irrigation and cultivation. At present Punjab uses one quarter of total national chemical insecticides and pesticides. This is causing a lot of environmental and health problems for all living organisms. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Agricultural production has reached its plateau in Punjab. Some agriculturists are talking about diversification in agriculture without a complementary supporting marketing system in place. Thus, in Punjab&amp;rsquo;s long-term interest, a high level committee comprising eminent agronomist, soil scientists, microbiologists, hydrologists, geologists, veterinarians, Agriculture Secretary and a cross-section of progressive farmers be constituted to deliberate on these problems and make suitable recommendations to the government. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The state of soils, ground water, environment and agriculture in Punjab is already alarming. If immediate corrective measures were not taken, it would be too late to save Punjab&amp;rsquo;s agriculture and economy. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;The writer is a former Joint Director of Agriculture, Punjab &lt;br /&gt;
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WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater resources. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The water table has gone down alarmingly resulting in huge investment on installation of costly submersible pumps to draw water for irrigation. This does not auger well for sustainable agriculture. Despite the government measures to save water through delaying sowing of paddy crop for the last two seasons, there has been no perceptible improvement in the water table. Nothing is more certain than that continual cropping without the use of manure or compost deprives the soil of its fertility. It is equally certain that fertility may be preserved or restored by giving to the soil animal or vegetable manure equivalent to the matter taken from it. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Soils that have little or no addition of organic matter will gradually lose structure necessitating increased chemical fertilisation, cultivation and irrigation. Also without adequate application of organic matter in the shape of animal manure, green-manuring or composting, most nutrients get leached beyond the reach of plant roots eventually reaching the groundwater and pollute it. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;It is a fact that very few farmers apply animal manure or compost on their farms these days. You just go through a village periphery and you would find lots of garbage/ compost heaps lying alongside the ponds or vacant plots in abundance. A precious input matter is being wasted to pollute the environment instead of using it in restoring the fertility of soils. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The big question today is: who will bell the cat? The farmers need to be educated and trained on the huge benefits that would accrue by adopting this composting practice. They would also need technical guidance on suitable structures to prepare proper composting under existing conditions. A number of departments like agriculture, animal husbandry and rural development can play a significant role towards this end.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;There is a school of thought that considers these organisations as a white ant and indifferent towards the farming community and its problems. Therefore, the onus falls on a solitary body called village panchayat since they are the true representatives of the farmers. They can mobilise all the necessary resources required for their specific conditions and work with its community participation to achieve the desired results. This would not only save our soils from further depletion but would go a long way towards improving the deteriorating environment.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;During harvesting of paddy crop, Punjab&amp;rsquo;s atmosphere is awfully engulfed in smoke emanating from the burning of paddy stock in the fields. Mere enactment of laws by the government to ban this practice is not going to help unless some alternative methods to economically incorporate this valuable organic matter in the soil are put in place. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Burning of paddy stubs in the field also kills the useful micro-organism, which helps build the soul structure. It is a crime against society since it causes serious respiratory problems. Poor visibility on the roads leads to a lot of fatal accidents during this period. Absence of adequate amount of humus in soil results in non-availability of all the chemical fertilisers that is applied to the plants as some of the fertiliser leach into the ground water causing pollution. It is estimated that with proper composting and green manuring practices, the farmers can save at least a quarter of their expenses on chemical fertilisers, irrigation and cultivation. At present Punjab uses one quarter of total national chemical insecticides and pesticides. This is causing a lot of environmental and health problems for all living organisms. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Agricultural production has reached its plateau in Punjab. Some agriculturists are talking about diversification in agriculture without a complementary supporting marketing system in place. Thus, in Punjab&amp;rsquo;s long-term interest, a high level committee comprising eminent agronomist, soil scientists, microbiologists, hydrologists, geologists, veterinarians, Agriculture Secretary and a cross-section of progressive farmers be constituted to deliberate on these problems and make suitable recommendations to the government. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The state of soils, ground water, environment and agriculture in Punjab is already alarming. 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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater resources. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The water table has gone down alarmingly resulting in huge investment on installation of costly submersible pumps to draw water for irrigation. This does not auger well for sustainable agriculture. Despite the government measures to save water through delaying sowing of paddy crop for the last two seasons, there has been no perceptible improvement in the water table. Nothing is more certain than that continual cropping without the use of manure or compost deprives the soil of its fertility. It is equally certain that fertility may be preserved or restored by giving to the soil animal or vegetable manure equivalent to the matter taken from it. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Soils that have little or no addition of organic matter will gradually lose structure necessitating increased chemical fertilisation, cultivation and irrigation. Also without adequate application of organic matter in the shape of animal manure, green-manuring or composting, most nutrients get leached beyond the reach of plant roots eventually reaching the groundwater and pollute it. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;It is a fact that very few farmers apply animal manure or compost on their farms these days. You just go through a village periphery and you would find lots of garbage/ compost heaps lying alongside the ponds or vacant plots in abundance. A precious input matter is being wasted to pollute the environment instead of using it in restoring the fertility of soils. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The big question today is: who will bell the cat? The farmers need to be educated and trained on the huge benefits that would accrue by adopting this composting practice. They would also need technical guidance on suitable structures to prepare proper composting under existing conditions. A number of departments like agriculture, animal husbandry and rural development can play a significant role towards this end.&lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;There is a school of thought that considers these organisations as a white ant and indifferent towards the farming community and its problems. Therefore, the onus falls on a solitary body called village panchayat since they are the true representatives of the farmers. They can mobilise all the necessary resources required for their specific conditions and work with its community participation to achieve the desired results. This would not only save our soils from further depletion but would go a long way towards improving the deteriorating environment.&lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;During harvesting of paddy crop, Punjab&amp;rsquo;s atmosphere is awfully engulfed in smoke emanating from the burning of paddy stock in the fields. Mere enactment of laws by the government to ban this practice is not going to help unless some alternative methods to economically incorporate this valuable organic matter in the soil are put in place. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Burning of paddy stubs in the field also kills the useful micro-organism, which helps build the soul structure. It is a crime against society since it causes serious respiratory problems. Poor visibility on the roads leads to a lot of fatal accidents during this period. Absence of adequate amount of humus in soil results in non-availability of all the chemical fertilisers that is applied to the plants as some of the fertiliser leach into the ground water causing pollution. It is estimated that with proper composting and green manuring practices, the farmers can save at least a quarter of their expenses on chemical fertilisers, irrigation and cultivation. At present Punjab uses one quarter of total national chemical insecticides and pesticides. This is causing a lot of environmental and health problems for all living organisms. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Agricultural production has reached its plateau in Punjab. Some agriculturists are talking about diversification in agriculture without a complementary supporting marketing system in place. Thus, in Punjab&amp;rsquo;s long-term interest, a high level committee comprising eminent agronomist, soil scientists, microbiologists, hydrologists, geologists, veterinarians, Agriculture Secretary and a cross-section of progressive farmers be constituted to deliberate on these problems and make suitable recommendations to the government. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The state of soils, ground water, environment and agriculture in Punjab is already alarming. If immediate corrective measures were not taken, it would be too late to save Punjab&amp;rsquo;s agriculture and economy. &lt;/font&gt;
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WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater..."/>
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                <strong>Restoring soil fertility in Punjab by Hardial Singh Dhillon</strong></h1>
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                <p align="justify"><font ></font></p><p align="justify"><font >WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater resources. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The water table has gone down alarmingly resulting in huge investment on installation of costly submersible pumps to draw water for irrigation. This does not auger well for sustainable agriculture. Despite the government measures to save water through delaying sowing of paddy crop for the last two seasons, there has been no perceptible improvement in the water table. Nothing is more certain than that continual cropping without the use of manure or compost deprives the soil of its fertility. It is equally certain that fertility may be preserved or restored by giving to the soil animal or vegetable manure equivalent to the matter taken from it. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Soils that have little or no addition of organic matter will gradually lose structure necessitating increased chemical fertilisation, cultivation and irrigation. Also without adequate application of organic matter in the shape of animal manure, green-manuring or composting, most nutrients get leached beyond the reach of plant roots eventually reaching the groundwater and pollute it. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >It is a fact that very few farmers apply animal manure or compost on their farms these days. You just go through a village periphery and you would find lots of garbage/ compost heaps lying alongside the ponds or vacant plots in abundance. A precious input matter is being wasted to pollute the environment instead of using it in restoring the fertility of soils. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The big question today is: who will bell the cat? The farmers need to be educated and trained on the huge benefits that would accrue by adopting this composting practice. They would also need technical guidance on suitable structures to prepare proper composting under existing conditions. A number of departments like agriculture, animal husbandry and rural development can play a significant role towards this end.</font></p><p align="justify"><font >There is a school of thought that considers these organisations as a white ant and indifferent towards the farming community and its problems. Therefore, the onus falls on a solitary body called village panchayat since they are the true representatives of the farmers. They can mobilise all the necessary resources required for their specific conditions and work with its community participation to achieve the desired results. This would not only save our soils from further depletion but would go a long way towards improving the deteriorating environment.</font></p><p align="justify"><font >During harvesting of paddy crop, Punjab&rsquo;s atmosphere is awfully engulfed in smoke emanating from the burning of paddy stock in the fields. Mere enactment of laws by the government to ban this practice is not going to help unless some alternative methods to economically incorporate this valuable organic matter in the soil are put in place. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Burning of paddy stubs in the field also kills the useful micro-organism, which helps build the soul structure. It is a crime against society since it causes serious respiratory problems. Poor visibility on the roads leads to a lot of fatal accidents during this period. Absence of adequate amount of humus in soil results in non-availability of all the chemical fertilisers that is applied to the plants as some of the fertiliser leach into the ground water causing pollution. It is estimated that with proper composting and green manuring practices, the farmers can save at least a quarter of their expenses on chemical fertilisers, irrigation and cultivation. At present Punjab uses one quarter of total national chemical insecticides and pesticides. This is causing a lot of environmental and health problems for all living organisms. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Agricultural production has reached its plateau in Punjab. Some agriculturists are talking about diversification in agriculture without a complementary supporting marketing system in place. Thus, in Punjab&rsquo;s long-term interest, a high level committee comprising eminent agronomist, soil scientists, microbiologists, hydrologists, geologists, veterinarians, Agriculture Secretary and a cross-section of progressive farmers be constituted to deliberate on these problems and make suitable recommendations to the government. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The state of soils, ground water, environment and agriculture in Punjab is already alarming. If immediate corrective measures were not taken, it would be too late to save Punjab&rsquo;s agriculture and economy. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>The writer is a former Joint Director of Agriculture, Punjab <br /></em></font></p>               </font>
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<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater resources. </font>
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<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">The water table has gone down alarmingly resulting in huge investment on installation of costly submersible pumps to draw water for irrigation. This does not auger well for sustainable agriculture. Despite the government measures to save water through delaying sowing of paddy crop for the last two seasons, there has been no perceptible improvement in the water table. Nothing is more certain than that continual cropping without the use of manure or compost deprives the soil of its fertility. It is equally certain that fertility may be preserved or restored by giving to the soil animal or vegetable manure equivalent to the matter taken from it. </font>
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<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Soils that have little or no addition of organic matter will gradually lose structure necessitating increased chemical fertilisation, cultivation and irrigation. Also without adequate application of organic matter in the shape of animal manure, green-manuring or composting, most nutrients get leached beyond the reach of plant roots eventually reaching the groundwater and pollute it. </font>
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<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">It is a fact that very few farmers apply animal manure or compost on their farms these days. You just go through a village periphery and you would find lots of garbage/ compost heaps lying alongside the ponds or vacant plots in abundance. A precious input matter is being wasted to pollute the environment instead of using it in restoring the fertility of soils. </font>
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<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">The big question today is: who will bell the cat? The farmers need to be educated and trained on the huge benefits that would accrue by adopting this composting practice. They would also need technical guidance on suitable structures to prepare proper composting under existing conditions. A number of departments like agriculture, animal husbandry and rural development can play a significant role towards this end.</font>
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<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">There is a school of thought that considers these organisations as a white ant and indifferent towards the farming community and its problems. Therefore, the onus falls on a solitary body called village panchayat since they are the true representatives of the farmers. They can mobilise all the necessary resources required for their specific conditions and work with its community participation to achieve the desired results. This would not only save our soils from further depletion but would go a long way towards improving the deteriorating environment.</font>
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<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">During harvesting of paddy crop, Punjab&rsquo;s atmosphere is awfully engulfed in smoke emanating from the burning of paddy stock in the fields. Mere enactment of laws by the government to ban this practice is not going to help unless some alternative methods to economically incorporate this valuable organic matter in the soil are put in place. </font>
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<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Burning of paddy stubs in the field also kills the useful micro-organism, which helps build the soul structure. It is a crime against society since it causes serious respiratory problems. Poor visibility on the roads leads to a lot of fatal accidents during this period. Absence of adequate amount of humus in soil results in non-availability of all the chemical fertilisers that is applied to the plants as some of the fertiliser leach into the ground water causing pollution. It is estimated that with proper composting and green manuring practices, the farmers can save at least a quarter of their expenses on chemical fertilisers, irrigation and cultivation. At present Punjab uses one quarter of total national chemical insecticides and pesticides. This is causing a lot of environmental and health problems for all living organisms. </font>
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<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Agricultural production has reached its plateau in Punjab. Some agriculturists are talking about diversification in agriculture without a complementary supporting marketing system in place. Thus, in Punjab&rsquo;s long-term interest, a high level committee comprising eminent agronomist, soil scientists, microbiologists, hydrologists, geologists, veterinarians, Agriculture Secretary and a cross-section of progressive farmers be constituted to deliberate on these problems and make suitable recommendations to the government. </font>
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<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">The state of soils, ground water, environment and agriculture in Punjab is already alarming. If immediate corrective measures were not taken, it would be too late to save Punjab&rsquo;s agriculture and economy. </font>
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A precious input matter is being wasted to pollute the environment instead of using it in restoring the fertility of soils. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The big question today is: who will bell the cat? The farmers need to be educated and trained on the huge benefits that would accrue by adopting this composting practice. They would also need technical guidance on suitable structures to prepare proper composting under existing conditions. A number of departments like agriculture, animal husbandry and rural development can play a significant role towards this end.</font></p><p align="justify"><font >There is a school of thought that considers these organisations as a white ant and indifferent towards the farming community and its problems. Therefore, the onus falls on a solitary body called village panchayat since they are the true representatives of the farmers. They can mobilise all the necessary resources required for their specific conditions and work with its community participation to achieve the desired results. This would not only save our soils from further depletion but would go a long way towards improving the deteriorating environment.</font></p><p align="justify"><font >During harvesting of paddy crop, Punjab&rsquo;s atmosphere is awfully engulfed in smoke emanating from the burning of paddy stock in the fields. Mere enactment of laws by the government to ban this practice is not going to help unless some alternative methods to economically incorporate this valuable organic matter in the soil are put in place. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Burning of paddy stubs in the field also kills the useful micro-organism, which helps build the soul structure. It is a crime against society since it causes serious respiratory problems. Poor visibility on the roads leads to a lot of fatal accidents during this period. Absence of adequate amount of humus in soil results in non-availability of all the chemical fertilisers that is applied to the plants as some of the fertiliser leach into the ground water causing pollution. It is estimated that with proper composting and green manuring practices, the farmers can save at least a quarter of their expenses on chemical fertilisers, irrigation and cultivation. At present Punjab uses one quarter of total national chemical insecticides and pesticides. This is causing a lot of environmental and health problems for all living organisms. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Agricultural production has reached its plateau in Punjab. Some agriculturists are talking about diversification in agriculture without a complementary supporting marketing system in place. Thus, in Punjab&rsquo;s long-term interest, a high level committee comprising eminent agronomist, soil scientists, microbiologists, hydrologists, geologists, veterinarians, Agriculture Secretary and a cross-section of progressive farmers be constituted to deliberate on these problems and make suitable recommendations to the government. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The state of soils, ground water, environment and agriculture in Punjab is already alarming. If immediate corrective measures were not taken, it would be too late to save Punjab&rsquo;s agriculture and economy. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>The writer is a former Joint Director of Agriculture, Punjab <br /></em></font></p>',
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	'title' => 'Restoring soil fertility in Punjab by Hardial Singh Dhillon',
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<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater resources. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">The water table has gone down alarmingly resulting in huge investment on installation of costly submersible pumps to draw water for irrigation. This does not auger well for sustainable agriculture. Despite the government measures to save water through delaying sowing of paddy crop for the last two seasons, there has been no perceptible improvement in the water table. Nothing is more certain than that continual cropping without the use of manure or compost deprives the soil of its fertility. It is equally certain that fertility may be preserved or restored by giving to the soil animal or vegetable manure equivalent to the matter taken from it. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Soils that have little or no addition of organic matter will gradually lose structure necessitating increased chemical fertilisation, cultivation and irrigation. Also without adequate application of organic matter in the shape of animal manure, green-manuring or composting, most nutrients get leached beyond the reach of plant roots eventually reaching the groundwater and pollute it. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">It is a fact that very few farmers apply animal manure or compost on their farms these days. You just go through a village periphery and you would find lots of garbage/ compost heaps lying alongside the ponds or vacant plots in abundance. A precious input matter is being wasted to pollute the environment instead of using it in restoring the fertility of soils. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">The big question today is: who will bell the cat? The farmers need to be educated and trained on the huge benefits that would accrue by adopting this composting practice. They would also need technical guidance on suitable structures to prepare proper composting under existing conditions. A number of departments like agriculture, animal husbandry and rural development can play a significant role towards this end.</font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">There is a school of thought that considers these organisations as a white ant and indifferent towards the farming community and its problems. Therefore, the onus falls on a solitary body called village panchayat since they are the true representatives of the farmers. They can mobilise all the necessary resources required for their specific conditions and work with its community participation to achieve the desired results. This would not only save our soils from further depletion but would go a long way towards improving the deteriorating environment.</font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">During harvesting of paddy crop, Punjab&rsquo;s atmosphere is awfully engulfed in smoke emanating from the burning of paddy stock in the fields. Mere enactment of laws by the government to ban this practice is not going to help unless some alternative methods to economically incorporate this valuable organic matter in the soil are put in place. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Burning of paddy stubs in the field also kills the useful micro-organism, which helps build the soul structure. It is a crime against society since it causes serious respiratory problems. Poor visibility on the roads leads to a lot of fatal accidents during this period. Absence of adequate amount of humus in soil results in non-availability of all the chemical fertilisers that is applied to the plants as some of the fertiliser leach into the ground water causing pollution. It is estimated that with proper composting and green manuring practices, the farmers can save at least a quarter of their expenses on chemical fertilisers, irrigation and cultivation. At present Punjab uses one quarter of total national chemical insecticides and pesticides. This is causing a lot of environmental and health problems for all living organisms. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Agricultural production has reached its plateau in Punjab. Some agriculturists are talking about diversification in agriculture without a complementary supporting marketing system in place. Thus, in Punjab&rsquo;s long-term interest, a high level committee comprising eminent agronomist, soil scientists, microbiologists, hydrologists, geologists, veterinarians, Agriculture Secretary and a cross-section of progressive farmers be constituted to deliberate on these problems and make suitable recommendations to the government. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">The state of soils, ground water, environment and agriculture in Punjab is already alarming. If immediate corrective measures were not taken, it would be too late to save Punjab&rsquo;s agriculture and economy. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3"><em>The writer is a former Joint Director of Agriculture, Punjab <br />
</em></font>
</p>
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WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater...'
$disp = '<p align="justify"><font ></font></p><p align="justify"><font >WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater resources. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The water table has gone down alarmingly resulting in huge investment on installation of costly submersible pumps to draw water for irrigation. This does not auger well for sustainable agriculture. Despite the government measures to save water through delaying sowing of paddy crop for the last two seasons, there has been no perceptible improvement in the water table. Nothing is more certain than that continual cropping without the use of manure or compost deprives the soil of its fertility. It is equally certain that fertility may be preserved or restored by giving to the soil animal or vegetable manure equivalent to the matter taken from it. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Soils that have little or no addition of organic matter will gradually lose structure necessitating increased chemical fertilisation, cultivation and irrigation. Also without adequate application of organic matter in the shape of animal manure, green-manuring or composting, most nutrients get leached beyond the reach of plant roots eventually reaching the groundwater and pollute it. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >It is a fact that very few farmers apply animal manure or compost on their farms these days. You just go through a village periphery and you would find lots of garbage/ compost heaps lying alongside the ponds or vacant plots in abundance. A precious input matter is being wasted to pollute the environment instead of using it in restoring the fertility of soils. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The big question today is: who will bell the cat? The farmers need to be educated and trained on the huge benefits that would accrue by adopting this composting practice. They would also need technical guidance on suitable structures to prepare proper composting under existing conditions. A number of departments like agriculture, animal husbandry and rural development can play a significant role towards this end.</font></p><p align="justify"><font >There is a school of thought that considers these organisations as a white ant and indifferent towards the farming community and its problems. Therefore, the onus falls on a solitary body called village panchayat since they are the true representatives of the farmers. They can mobilise all the necessary resources required for their specific conditions and work with its community participation to achieve the desired results. This would not only save our soils from further depletion but would go a long way towards improving the deteriorating environment.</font></p><p align="justify"><font >During harvesting of paddy crop, Punjab&rsquo;s atmosphere is awfully engulfed in smoke emanating from the burning of paddy stock in the fields. Mere enactment of laws by the government to ban this practice is not going to help unless some alternative methods to economically incorporate this valuable organic matter in the soil are put in place. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Burning of paddy stubs in the field also kills the useful micro-organism, which helps build the soul structure. It is a crime against society since it causes serious respiratory problems. Poor visibility on the roads leads to a lot of fatal accidents during this period. Absence of adequate amount of humus in soil results in non-availability of all the chemical fertilisers that is applied to the plants as some of the fertiliser leach into the ground water causing pollution. It is estimated that with proper composting and green manuring practices, the farmers can save at least a quarter of their expenses on chemical fertilisers, irrigation and cultivation. At present Punjab uses one quarter of total national chemical insecticides and pesticides. This is causing a lot of environmental and health problems for all living organisms. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Agricultural production has reached its plateau in Punjab. Some agriculturists are talking about diversification in agriculture without a complementary supporting marketing system in place. Thus, in Punjab&rsquo;s long-term interest, a high level committee comprising eminent agronomist, soil scientists, microbiologists, hydrologists, geologists, veterinarians, Agriculture Secretary and a cross-section of progressive farmers be constituted to deliberate on these problems and make suitable recommendations to the government. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The state of soils, ground water, environment and agriculture in Punjab is already alarming. If immediate corrective measures were not taken, it would be too late to save Punjab&rsquo;s agriculture and economy. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>The writer is a former Joint Director of Agriculture, Punjab <br /></em></font></p>'
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Restoring soil fertility in Punjab by Hardial Singh Dhillon

WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater resources. The water table has gone down alarmingly resulting in huge investment on installation of costly submersible pumps to draw water for irrigation. This does not auger well for sustainable agriculture. Despite the government measures to save water through delaying sowing of paddy crop for the last two seasons, there has been no perceptible improvement in the water table. Nothing is more certain than that continual cropping without the use of manure or compost deprives the soil of its fertility. It is equally certain that fertility may be preserved or restored by giving to the soil animal or vegetable manure equivalent to the matter taken from it. Soils that have little or no addition of organic matter will gradually lose structure necessitating increased chemical fertilisation, cultivation and irrigation. Also without adequate application of organic matter in the shape of animal manure, green-manuring or composting, most nutrients get leached beyond the reach of plant roots eventually reaching the groundwater and pollute it. It is a fact that very few farmers apply animal manure or compost on their farms these days. You just go through a village periphery and you would find lots of garbage/ compost heaps lying alongside the ponds or vacant plots in abundance. A precious input matter is being wasted to pollute the environment instead of using it in restoring the fertility of soils. The big question today is: who will bell the cat? The farmers need to be educated and trained on the huge benefits that would accrue by adopting this composting practice. They would also need technical guidance on suitable structures to prepare proper composting under existing conditions. A number of departments like agriculture, animal husbandry and rural development can play a significant role towards this end. There is a school of thought that considers these organisations as a white ant and indifferent towards the farming community and its problems. Therefore, the onus falls on a solitary body called village panchayat since they are the true representatives of the farmers. They can mobilise all the necessary resources required for their specific conditions and work with its community participation to achieve the desired results. This would not only save our soils from further depletion but would go a long way towards improving the deteriorating environment. During harvesting of paddy crop, Punjab’s atmosphere is awfully engulfed in smoke emanating from the burning of paddy stock in the fields. Mere enactment of laws by the government to ban this practice is not going to help unless some alternative methods to economically incorporate this valuable organic matter in the soil are put in place. Burning of paddy stubs in the field also kills the useful micro-organism, which helps build the soul structure. It is a crime against society since it causes serious respiratory problems. Poor visibility on the roads leads to a lot of fatal accidents during this period. Absence of adequate amount of humus in soil results in non-availability of all the chemical fertilisers that is applied to the plants as some of the fertiliser leach into the ground water causing pollution. It is estimated that with proper composting and green manuring practices, the farmers can save at least a quarter of their expenses on chemical fertilisers, irrigation and cultivation. At present Punjab uses one quarter of total national chemical insecticides and pesticides. This is causing a lot of environmental and health problems for all living organisms. Agricultural production has reached its plateau in Punjab. Some agriculturists are talking about diversification in agriculture without a complementary supporting marketing system in place. Thus, in Punjab’s long-term interest, a high level committee comprising eminent agronomist, soil scientists, microbiologists, hydrologists, geologists, veterinarians, Agriculture Secretary and a cross-section of progressive farmers be constituted to deliberate on these problems and make suitable recommendations to the government. The state of soils, ground water, environment and agriculture in Punjab is already alarming. If immediate corrective measures were not taken, it would be too late to save Punjab’s agriculture and economy. The writer is a former Joint Director of Agriculture, Punjab