Prevent soil erosion to save life ways expert

KALABURAGI;  Senior Agriculture scientist and Associate professor in the Agriculture College in Kalaburagi Dr M A Bellakki has warned that the rapid soil erosion in the world would have a chilling effect on the human and animal life and the world would face a serious crisis in the food grain production.

Speaking at the World Soil Day organized by the Department of the Business Study in the Sharnbasva University in Kalaburagi city on Saturday, Dr Bellakki said that according to a study already 30 per cent of the top soil is lost due to the erosion and by 2050 nearly 90 per cent of the fertile top soil would be eroded.

Dr Bellakki said that it takes 1000 years for the production of one inch of top soil and due to indiscriminate use of land by growing unsuitable crops, not adhering to the practice of changing the agriculture pattern, not following the sustainable agriculture, change in the agriculture land use for industrialization and urbanization has resulted in the large scale loss of the fertile agriculture land.

Stressing the need for protecting the living organism in the soil, which plays an important role in increasing the fertility of the soil and the natural and organic matters which also helps in enriching the soil fertility, Dr Bellakki said that the living organism in the soil plays a crucial role in protecting the soil and once this is lost due to the erosion of the top soil, the land becomes unfit for agriculture and it would be very difficult to enrich the soil once again.

He said that the scientific management of the soil is important for retaining the fertility of the soil and the soil besides meeting 95 per cent of the food need of the human and animals, the living organism in the soil is the major source for the production of antibiotics, which protects against the many diseases.

Assistant Professor in the Dairy Science College Dr Mallinath R Hemmadi, who is an expert in organic cultivation, in his address said that the soil is one of the most neglected matter in the world and there was a need for creating awareness among the people to protect the fertility of the soil, which had given birth to the life in this world.  The indiscriminate use of fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides had a harmful effect on the soil. The fertility of the soil has reduced drastically in the past 5 decades after the excessive use of fertilizer came into practice in the agriculture.

The loss of the fertility of the soil has not only reduced the production of the food grains and drastically reduced its quality the erosion of the soil has also resulted in other effects on the human life and pointed out that the water retention percentage in the soil has come down. “The underground water table has not gone up despite the different parts of the country received heavy rains and floods regularly and the shortage of the drinking water continues to be an unending problem.

Registrar of the university Dr Anilkumar Bidve made introductory remarks. Registrar (Evaluation) Dr Lingraj Shastri and Dean of the business studies department Dr S H Honnalli were present.