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Archives
April 1-15, 2000
The call to improve fertility of acidic soil
by Thea Kristina M. Pabuayon
About 17 million hectares of the Philippine
land area are acid upland soils. In Southeast Asia,
about 188 million hectares are acidic soils - of which
118.4 million hectares have a pH of less than 5.0, and
69.6 million hectares with a pH of 5-5.5 (IRRI Annual
Report, 1985).
This vast area of acidic soil has the
potential to contribute greatly to the production of
food and raw materials when planted with both annual
and perennial crops. Upon effective and efficient utilization,
livelihood programs and an agro-industrial economy would
bloom and prosper.
To tap acidic soils' potential for sustained
and increased agricultural production, the technical
knowledge and competence of scientists and researchers
in diagnosing soil acidity problems and managing acidic
soils for improved fertility and high yield must be
developed. This was addressed through a training on
"Environmentally Sound Management for Sustained
Productive Use of Acidic Upland Soils" held on
2-9 April 2000 in Bogor, Indonesia. Ms. Cecille Baquireza
was the representative from the Bureau of Agricultural
Research in the activity.
According to Ms. Baquireza, local researchers,
especially in the regions, engage in varietal trials
wherein crops are tested for soil acidity tolerance.
While this approach can be appropriate, the root cause
- which is soil acidity - is not dealt with (properly).
Hence, sustained production is not ensured.
The training workshop involved lectures
and discussions on the principles of acidity and its
management, laboratory determinations, field works/visits,
and discussion of country experiences involving acid
soil management. As an output, the participants prepared
and discussed their individual plans/research for specific
acid soil management in their respective countries.
Ms. Baquireza said similar training on
soil acidity management should conducted, with the participation
of DA-RIARC researchers from the Mindanao regions. This
planned regional training, to be conducted on a rotational
basis among SEARCA consortium countries, would be managed
and sponsored by SEARCA. 
April 1-15 2000 Articles: ::
2001 budget proposals for R&D reviewed
::
Corn sector: strategies towards global competitiveness
::
Fishermen empowerment through coops development
::
Pest management info database now accessible
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Public info campaign on GMOs launched
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The call to improve fertility of acidic soil
::: More April 2000 articles :::
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