ICA techniques use isotope techniques to provide critical data to optimize fertilizer use and improve agricultural production efficiency while maintaining soil health.
“When we were just starting, the soils of Azerbaijan were very degraded, fertility was at a very low level, there was no set of basic nutrients necessary for the growth of cotton in the soil,” says Zaman. To solve this problem, the IAEA experts developed and provided cotton to the cotton to a full complex of nuclear and adjacent methods relating to a variety of aspects of crop production, including the preparation of the soil, choosing the best varieties of cotton, introducing nutrients, irrigation of cotton fields and weed combat, pests and pests, and diseases.
60 > “Application of improved methods of making nutrients and managing soil and water resources along with the use of the & cotton & nbsp; Super allowed us to improve productivity indicators, improve the quality and increase the profit”, to improve the profit ”. – Sakhavat Mammadov, a farmer from Azerbaijan, who took part in the pilot project and uses the methods of the KHC in his farm over the past two years. ~ 60 > 60 > 60 > reader. Also: cotton: “white gold”, which feeds millions 62 > 62 > 62 > 62 > 62 >Nuclear and related methods help to increase not only agricultural productivity, but also the stability of agricultural systems to climate change. In Azerbaijan, scientists used the method using the stable isotope Azot-15 (N-15). Nitrogen plays an important role in plant growth and photosynthesis – the process by which plants convert carbon dioxide and sunlight into plant foods. Zaman explained that a lack of nutrients in the soil, such as nitrogen, negatively affects the volume and nutritional value of the crop. On the other hand, excessive or incorrect introduction of nitrogen fertilizers leads to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions and pollution of surface and groundwater. 62 ~~ 60 > 62 > 62 >“Cotton in Azerbaijan is expected to be one of the crops with the largest yield declines due to climate change and rapid soil degradation,” says Zaman. “The use of isotope techniques, including the use of N-15, can help adapt to new conditions and make the cotton industry more competitive, as well as provide employment and improve the well-being of the rural population.” harvests reached 830 thousand tons and provided up to a quarter of revenues to the state budget. However, the transition to a market economy and the rapid growth of other industries in the 1990s meant that cotton lost its key role in the Azerbaijani economy, and its production fell to a record low of 31 thousand tons in 2009.
The project results demonstrate the high potential of climate-smart methods to increase agricultural productivity.
“Taking into account that the total area of cotton plantations in Azerbaijan is 105 thousand hectares, the introduction of IAEA CSA methods on 10 percent of this area will produce 84 thousand tons of cotton, which is 166 percent more than using traditional growing methods, – explains Zaman. – The use of climate-smart farming methods in this project resulted in excellent results; This is very encouraging for us and opens up exciting prospects for Azerbaijan, which will be able to significantly increase cotton production and thereby greatly improve its economic performance.”