Manga (UE), Dec. 18, GNA – Sixty four farmers from the Binduri District and Bawku Municipal in the Upper East Region have been trained in the efficient application of fertilizer to improve farm yields.
The training, done at Manga in the Bawku Municipality, was carried out by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Institute (CSIR-SARI) and sponsored by the Agricultural Manufacturing Group (AMG) Limited.
The practical and hands-on training on good practices in fertilizer application under drip irrigation was carried out on demonstration fields of Maize, Soybean, Okra and Garden eggs.
A Lead Senior Research Scientist, Dr Francis Kusi and his team of Scientists and Technicians took the farmers through practical demonstration of dibbling and covering after application of fertilizer and also supervised the farmers to dibble, apply and cover the fertilizer.
Dr Kusi said the Upper East Region experienced torrential rainfalls around July and August, which happened to be the time most farmers applied fertilizer to their crops.
“Therefore, if you just drop your fertilizer by the crops, as it is the practice of most farmers, the bulk of it will be washed and carried away in the run-off water. The nature of the soils in this part of the country is sandy and for that matter erosion and leaching are common in the area.
Hence the need to place your fertilizer for the plants to make good use of it over a period by securing it in a hole made with dibbles”, he told the farmers.
Dr Kusi encouraged the farmers to adopt the best practices in fertilizer application by committing a little time and money to engage labour to dibble before applying fertilizer.
He also introduced the farmers to the split method of fertilizer application as a means to maximize the intake of the fertilizer applied to the crops over the cropping season, given the soil type and the rainfall distribution.
Mr Bismark Asante, the Commercial Manager of AMG for Northern and Upper East Regions, used the opportunity to introduce the company’s fertilizer to the farmers and said apart from trace elements, the AMG compound fertilizer contained two sources of Nitrogen (N), Nitrate and Ammoniaca.
“While the Nitrate component is readily released upon application, the Ammoniaca releases its Nitrogen slowly to the plants, hence the plants sustain their greenness, vigorous growth and development, resulting in high yields.”
He recommended the AMG Fertilizer to the farmers based on the rainfall distribution and the sandy nature of the soil in the area.
The farmers, who inspected the demonstration fields, were extremely impressed with the performance of the crops sustained greenness and the performances of the crops due to the application of AMG fertilizer.
GNA