How to improve yield of crops and their profitability

Introduction. The yield of wheat is 28, 40, 60 and 80 Forty-Kg in Pakistan, India, Australia and USA respectively. Low yield of crops is attributed to the less contribution of research institutions of the country. Some hold poor quality of seed responsible for this. Both views are right to some extent but these are not the only reasons for low yield. Let us see the land preparation, sowing, growing, harvesting and marketing process.

Soil and Water analysis. Every farmer should get his/her land tested by the soil experts for its various contents. The type of fertilizers to be added in a particular piece of land will depend on the deficiency of contents. Animal manure, slaughtered animals waste, green manure, DAP or potassium etc are to be added as recommended. Water of tube well is also tested for its suitability for irrigation purposes. Alternatively, canal water is to be used.

Land leveling. All plants should get required amount of irrigated water. Water should stand still for required amount of time at the base and reach the root of every plant equally. Moreover, irrigation process should be economical in time and cost. This requires that land should be leveled preferably before sowing every crop. However, if time and cost do not permit, it should be done once two years.

Preparation of the land. First of all rotavator is used to churn and break the land. It will crush the grass and roots of previous crops into small straws. The land should be left idle for a week so that every green material dries. It should then be ploughed 4 to 6 times with 3 to 4 days interval between each plough. It is done so that land absorbs Sun rays and air. This process softens land, oxygenates it and kills harmful insects. Small insects are eaten by birds also.

Spray for weed and grass. Grass and wild growth on water runoff should be eliminated with spray in April and Sep every year. It will ease repairing of water runoff, flow of water and finishing of hide outs of harmful insects .

Irrigate land to allow seeding. The land should be irrigated so that it allows seeding. Inspect the land daily for the suitable moisture in the land for seed to be planted. The land should not be allowed to get dry for good germination of seed nor should it contain excessive moisture.

Selection of seed. Processed and healthy seed should be purchased from a reputed supplier for good yield. You may open a bag to see that defective and good seed has not been mixed.

Sowing the seed and applying fertilizer. Preferably, seeds of all crops including that of wheat should be sown in rows. It is good for better yield, less requirement of seed, fertilizers and economical irrigation. The seeds should be sown and fertilizers should be added with the planters. Spreading of seed and fertilizers with hand or mechanical spreader should be avoided. This not only wastes seed and fertilizer but reduces yield also. It should be sown in time; not too early, nor too late for better yield.

Pre-sowing and post germination sprays. Sprays are applied before sowing to finish weeds before sowing the seed. The weed plants will still grow but by the time they become harmful, crop plant would have picked up strength and height. The weed spray can still be applied but great care is to be taken while selecting the spray. The agriculture field assistant should be consulted for the correct type of spray. You may not apply spray which eliminates the weeds but harm the crops also. Never apply tricks like mixing kerosene oil in water etc. It blocks the ores of land which blocks the air and water to the roots of plants.

Irrigation. There should be one to two main runoffs for water in one square of land in the middle. Every acre of land should be divided in four parts. It will save the time and water. The irrigation should be weather and crop-need dependent rather than time dependent.

Recitation of ‘Aytalkurse’ and ‘Darood Sharif’ for Muslim Farmers only. The farmers should monitor growing of their crops daily. They should recite ‘Aytalkurse’ and ‘Darood Sharif’ while roaming in their fields. This will save their crops from natural calamities like heavy & untimely rains and winds etc. This is must for good yield.

Harvesting. Great care has to be exercised while plucking the cotton, cutting the sugarcane and harvesting the wheat. The aim is to avoid premature harvesting and minimize the loss caused by harvester and labour.

Marketing. The farmers should market their produce well in time to the on competitive rates.

Conclusion. The complete process to get good yield has been listed. Farmers with 12 acres and less land will take many short cuts. They should calculate affordability, production cost, labour and profitability.