Fertilizer needs of rainfed kharif crops

摘要

The impact of fertilizer application under rainfed conditions depends upon the availability of water. If the soil moisture content is low, then the crops are unable to take up nutrients although they may be present in sufficient quantity in the soil.Submontane Kandi area of north-east Punjab comprises about 10 per cent land area of Punjab. It covers partially Hoshiarpur, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Pathankot, Ropar, Mohali and Patiala districts. A significant extent of cultivated area in this regionstill lacks assured irrigation facilities although Kandi canal and few deep tube wells are providing some irrigation facilities. Crop yields are low in this region because of rain dependency for water and poor inherent fertility of these soils. The kharif crops are sown with the onset of monsoon in the last week of June and farmers generally do not apply fertilizer at the time of sowing.