Här kommer första blogginlägget för 2021, skriven av Shah Khalid Shah Jee, miljöjournalist i Pakistan. Den här gången berättar han om hur vissa typer av gödsel kan hjälpa med att öka skördens motstånd mot sjukdomar som förekommer allt oftare på grund av klimatförändring.
By Shah Khalid Shah Jee
According to the annual report released by the Global Climate Risk Index 2020 two months ago, Pakistan ranks fifth on the list of countries most likely to be affected by climate change. The negative effects of climate change in the country are felt in all walks of life, including health, the economy, agriculture and forestry. Steps are being taken at various levels to mitigate these effects, but they are often not enough. Mitigation measures require large investments that are hard to carry for a developing country like Pakistan. Therefore, the private sector has to come forward in this regard to save Pakistan from the negative effects of climate change along with the government.
This year, the agriculture sector in Malakand division has been badly affected by untimely rains and, according to agronomists, these rains have attacked wheat crops with a disease called rust which has slowed down wheat production. The decline was as high as 50 percent according to officials from the Department of Agriculture, which is seen as a clear indication of climate change by experts from the Ali Swat Research Institute. Therefore, experts from the Department of Agriculture are trying to create awareness among landowners that certified seeds, used with the advice of agronomists can help to avoid similar losses.
Agriculture expert Dr. Adalat Khan, who has recently returned from Canada, is an agronomist and plant pathologist with long experience in the field of agriculture. He has been doing research in the field of agriculture in Canada for many years and has spoken of many of his successful experiments, notably the Green Soil Biofertilizer blend. It is used not only in Canada but also in the United States and other countries. We had a special interview with Dr. Adalat Khan about Green Soil Bio Fertiliser.
During the discussion, Dr. Adalat Khan said that Canada and other European countries are developed countries and these countries have made great success in agriculture as they have in other areas. “So I decided there that I should help my country and especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. I will serve the landlords of Pakhtunkhwa and my area Malakand Division because not only do the farmers here lack education but their financial status is weak and they do not have access to modern farming methods as they should. In that spirit, I have now returned to Pakistan and started this service from my hometown of Swat district. There is a newly developed compound called Green Soil Biofertilizer (Trichoderma) that helps to reduce the effects of climate change on agricultural crops, vegetables and fruits and increase its productivity, and has yielded excellent results.”
Dr. Adalat Khan explains that there are five parts in the earth, being minerals, water, air, organic matter and biological agents. Among these biological agents fall the micro-organisms in the soil, that is, living things that cannot be seen without a microscope, such as bacteria and fungi. Some of these are beneficial, others can be harmful to both plants, animals and humans. Whenever something falls onto the ground, bacteria and fungi break it down to organic matter and nutrients. This can improve the soil quality for plant growth. Some of these fungi and other micro-organisms are tested in various labs, confirming that they have an impact on the growth of crops, vegetables and fruits.
In addition to other chemical components in the soil, phosphorus is a chemical substance which is very important for crops. According to Dr. Adalat Khan, phosphorus in the soil is present in such quantities that even if phosphorus is not added for a hundred years, there will still be a lot of it, but it is present in the form of phosphorus compounds such as aluminum phosphate, calcium phosphate, magnesium phosphate and nitro phosphate. These compounds are not or only to a limited extent accessible by crops and therefore do not benefit them. The work of separating phosphorus from the chemical compounds and making it accessible can be done by Green Soil, which converts it into edible form.
The product is useful for all crops, vegetables, and fruits, but it is particularly important for wheat because wheat consumption is very high, and it is an important crop for food security. Dr. Khan stated that the use of Green Soil BioFertilizer strengthens the roots of crops and produces a type of protein which protects crops, vegetables, etc. from all kinds of climatic effects and diseases, leading to a doubled production. Because of untimely rains due to climate change, many diseases attack crops, such as the rust attacks on wheat crops this year. This affected production, so green soil is very effective in preventing crop loss. Dr. Adalat Khan said that he has done successful experiments and by the grace of Allah he has achieved a lot. That is why the landlords have good crop yields now.
The method of application of Green Soil is very simple. 350 grams of it is enough for 2 acres of land. Apply it to the soil as a chemical fertilizer so that it reaches the roots of the crop then do not give it another fertilizer for 20 days and do not spray it so that its effects do not disappear. It is not a problem if other kinds of fertilizer were applied before. The green silage mixture can also be sprayed using a spray pump but needs to be shaken well as it does not dissolve easily. The second thing is to give it to the crop when there is moisture in the fields, that is, do not give it to dry land (field), because it is a seed that takes root in the ground and provides the required food and energy to crops, vegetables and other plants. So it should be given to moist land.
An official at the Swat Agricultural Research Center told us that they had used the Green Soil mixture experimentally at their center on wheat, millet and onion crops, which had yielded surprising results. Production had doubled. Now they will not only use it regularly in this agricultural center but also advise the landlords to use in the hope that the green soil mixture will soon bring about revolutionary changes in the agricultural field.
Dr. Adalat Khan, wants the green soil product to reach every landowner in Pakistan. As a journalist, I also want to help and take this issue as a priority. If we succeed in increasing the application of Green Soil, with the help of Allah the current crop of wheat will double and thus produce more wheat than required which will end the wheat crisis on a permanent basis. At the same time, I urge the Department of Agriculture and other agencies working on agriculture to play their part in creating awareness among the landlords about the green soil as it is our common responsibility to make Pakistan a truly developed agricultural country.
PUSH Sweden • International Climate Action 