Ludhiana, July 11
The indiscriminate cutting of forests is likely to result in increase in global temperature having far reaching implications for the agricultural sector.
This opinion was expressed by Dr Gurbachan Singh, Assistant Director General (Agronomy), ICAR, while inaugurating an advanced training course on ‘Nutrient and water management in crops and cropping systems’ here today. The course was organised by the Department of Agronomy and Agrometerology, PAU.
Dr Gurbachan Singh said that an increase of just 1°C in the temperature during the wheat season in 1996-97 resulted in a down fall of six million tonne in the projected production. Stressing the importance of efficient management of plant nutrients and water resources for sustainable agriculture, Dr Gurbachan Singh said that climactically, Punjab, had the potential of agricultural production to the tune of 60-80 tonne per hectare but even with the present level of 10 tonne per hectare we were facing the threat of depletion of plant nutrients and water resources which was evident from the lowering of water table particularly in central Punjab.
He warned that if this trend continues the day was not far when central Punjab would be facing Rajasthan- like drought situation. He said our focus should be maximisation of productivity and improvement of quality of farm produce with minimum resources. The continuous mono-culture of wheat-paddy rotation ha resulted in the loss of bio-diversity. To check this there was an urgent need to shift area from wheat-paddy rotation to alternative crops like pulses, oil seeds, maize and cotton.
Dr Gurbachan Singh also disclosed that the policy paper on diversification prepared by the PAU Scientists had been appreciated at the national level and had been circulated to other states to serve as a guideline for developing such paper keeping in view the specific conditions and needs of their respective states.
Dr K. S. Sekhon, Dean, Postgraduate Studies, PAU, in his presidential remarks said that our agriculture was facing internal and external threats. The internal threats included deterioration of soil, health, depletion of harvest infrastructure and large scale de-afforestation thereby disturbing the ecological balance. The external threat was from WTO which Dr Sekhon said was more biased in favour of developed countries and was characterised by unequal terms of bargaining. The Indian farmers with small holdings and limited resources were finding it difficult to compete with the farmers of developed countries having large scale commercial and mechanised farms. Both these kinds of threats needed urgent attention of the scientists, policy makers and administrators, concluded Dr Sekhon.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Dr Lall Singh Brar, Head, Department of Agronomy and Agrometerology, PAU, said that in the three-week advanced training course which would be attended by 40 faculty members of the university the latest concepts in the areas of weed control, irrigation scheduling and efficient use of chemicals would be discussed with the participants. Dr Brar further said that such courses would be organised on continuing basis to keep the scientists abreast with the latest developments in crop production technologies.
Among others who attended the inaugural session, included Dr R S Narang and Dr K K Dhingra, former heads of the Department of Agronomy, besides a large number of faculty members of the university.
