Aleppo, Syria
November 7, 2007
A low-cost technology developed by
scientists at ICARDA to
treat high level of magnesium in soil by using calcium has
demonstrated the potential to double the crop yield in
magnesium-rich soils in Central Asia.
In southern Kazakhstan alone, more than 150,000 hectares of land
is affected by high levels of magnesium, which causes soil
degradation and seriously reduces crop yield.
Scientists have established that addition of adequate quantities
of phosphogypsum (PG), a low-cost source of calcium, in the soil
mitigates the effect of excess magnesium and increases crop
yield. On-farm trials of the new technology conducted by ICARDA
and NARS in Arya Turkestan area of Kazakhstan produced
remarkable results
The PG technology has the potential to increase cotton yield to
3 t/ha, while the farmers usually got 1 to 1.5 t/ha without such
intervention. The increase in the yield prompted farmers to
voluntarily adopt the technology, bearing 30 percent of the cost
for transportation and application of PG, a byproduct of
phosphorus fertilizer industry easily available in Central Asia.
“I never dreamt of such a bumper crop from this problem soil.
Normally, we get only 1-2 tons of cotton per hectare, but now
with this simple technology, I can reap an extra ton this year,”
says 34-year-old, Abdurashid Koshkarov, a farmer from Stariy
Ikan village, 130 km northeast of Shymkent, capital of South
Kazakhstan Province. He is one of the 19 progressive growers who
voluntarily used PG to improve land productivity in this region,
where high magnesium content in the soil crippled crop
productivity.
The farm productivity and the profitability have gone up
significantly. “I spend about US$ 400 to raise a hectare of
irrigated cotton crop in our traditional way, and with PG
application it rose to about US$ 540. The returns also increased
correspondingly. At the current price of cotton at US$ 475 per
ton, the gross income goes up to US$ 1650 per hectare. It meant
that with an additional investment of US$ 140, we could get
about an extra ton of cotton worth US$ 475 from every hectare,”
explained Mr Koshkarov.
Research on the PG technology started in 2001 as part of the
Phase 1 and 2 of the ADB-funded Soil and Water project
implemented by ICARDA in Central Asia. The technology was
out-scaled in 2006 under another ADB-funded project, jointly
implemented by ICARDA, IWMI and ICBA, to an area of over 100 ha,
says Dr Manzoor Qadir,
ICARDA-based Marginal-Water Management Scientist of ICARDA/IWMI,
who heads the initiative to out-scale this technology in this
region. The Kazakh National Water Management Institute
implemented the PG trials in the study area.
More and more farmers in the region are aware of the new
technology and are convinced that the yields soared with the
application of PG. There is an increased demand for PG in the
region, and farmers firmly believe that a “silent green
revolution is in store for them”.
Mr Jolaman Dozbayev, a 57-year old cotton farmer in the same
village, said: “Until last season, we were in a bad situation.
But PG application changed it altogether. The high returns from
cotton ushered in a new wave of prosperity in our lives,” he
said with a sense of pride.
“Our studies showed that the PG dose per hectare should be based
on some simple soil tests, and it works out very economical for
the farmers. It is enough if the farmers apply PG once every
four to five years,” says Dr Qadir.
Established in 1977, ICARDA (www.icarda.org) is one of the 15
international research centers supported by the Consultative
Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). ICARDA
serves the entire developing world for the improvement of
barley, lentil, and faba bean; and dry-area developing countries
for the on-farm management of water, improvement of nutrition
and productivity of small ruminants (sheep and goats), and
rehabilitation and management of rangelands. In the Central and
West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region, ICARDA is responsible
for the improvement of durum and bread wheats, chickpea, pasture
and forage legumes and farming systems; and for the protection
and enhancement of the natural resource base of water, land, and
biodiversity.
The Consultative Group on
International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) is a strategic
alliance of countries, international and regional organizations,
and private foundations supporting15 international research
centers that mobilizes cutting-edge science to promote
sustainable development by reducing hunger and poverty,
improving human nutrition and health, and protecting the
environment. |
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