A Low-Cost Method Increases Farm Yield in Kazakhstan

Scientists from the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) have developed a low-cost method of treating excess magnesium in soils using phosphogypsum (PG), a cheap calcium source. The technology demonstrated the potential to double the crop yield in magnesium-rich soils in Central Asia, especially in Kazakhstan. Excess magnesium causes soil degradation and changes in soil physical properties resulting to decrease in crop yield. On-farms trials of the method conducted by ICARDA in  Arya Turkestan area of Kazakhstan produced remarkable results.

"I never dream of such a bumper crop from this problem soil. Normally, we get only 1-2 tons of cotton per hectare, but now with this simple technology, I can reap an extra ton this year," says Abdurashid Koshkarov a farmer from Shymkent. Studies show that addition of PG can increase cotton yield from 1 to 1.5 t/ha. to 3 t/ha. PG is a by-product of phosphorus fertilizer industry easily available in Central Asia. There is an increased demand for PG in the region, and farmers firmly believe that a "silent green revolution is in store for them".

Read the press release at http://www.cgiar.org/newsroom/releases/news.asp?idnews=623.