Relating farmers' practices to cotton yiled in southeastern Punjab, Pakistan.
1997
Meerbach P.D.B.J.
In this study farm characteristics and farmers practices are related to cotton yields in the Punjab, Pakistan. For this purpose data had been collected at 14 farms that represented farmers diversity in the Fordwah-Eastern Sadiqia irrigation system, concerning cultural practices at the field level. The study started at the field level by analyzing the sequence of activities that had been carried out at the cotton plots. This sequence of activities was compared with the recommendations on cotton growing activities provided by literature and Pakistani experts. In this way the major factors that influenced cotton yields in the area were identified. After a quantification of these factors for 58 plots of the 14 farmers statistical analysis was carried out. On that basis a production function was established which related relative cotton yield reductions to the watersheds during early flowering, the date of sowing, the sodicity of the topsoil, the timing of the first pesticide application and the total amount of nitrogen. The application of farm yard manure was an important factor, but data quality was too poor to allow insertion of this factor in the production function. Farmers practices in the area show signs of intense cultivation: 1. Irrigation water is always delivered to crops by means of tubewell water and, if available, canal water. Still, due to low canal water availability waterstresses occur at the majority of the fields. Also considerable overirrigation was observed in case water was available to the farmers. Therefore water use efficiency was in general low. 2. Inputs, both fertilizers and pesticides, are used in considerable quantities and on almost all fields. Specific inputs used for land reclamation were not observed, because availability of these inputs is low. 3. Almost all farmers use equipment like tractor, rotavator, drill and cultivator.
اظهر المزيد [+] اقل [-]الكلمات المفتاحية الخاصة بالمكنز الزراعي (أجروفوك)
المعلومات البيبليوغرافية
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