SIN gets dirty at IARI

A glimpse into the intricate world of soil at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute

A hot summer afternoon was well spent discussing the various nuances of soil in the quiet environs of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), one of India’s leading national Institutes for agricultural research, education and extension, in Delhi. Besides being known for the development of high yielding varieties of all the major crops of India, integrated soil-water-nutrient management has been the hallmarks of the Institute’s research to date. This is what led me to the institute’s soil division (Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry) to learn more about them.

As I stepped into the ‘Phipps Laboratory’ (named after Henry Phipps, an American philanthropist, who had provided with the financial assistance in establishing IARI in 1905), I was very conscious of the fact that many of the Indian pioneers of soil science had once worked here. The division is known for its many contributions, including creating the first soil map of India (a collection can be found here) and new methods and protocols for assessing soil health, and a soil fertility map of the entire country. The division houses the first laboratory in India focussed on use of radio tracers. One recent success, explained by Dr Saharawat, a senior scientist from the division, that impressed me was the development of an instrument that advises on how much fertiliser to use after analysing the nutrient content of the soil (STFR – Soil Test and Fertiliser Recommendation meter). I am sure STFR has very strong commercial potential.

Dr Saharawat took me through the extensive research portfolio of the division that includes primarily four aspects including development of new fertiliser molecules, recycling of organic wastes; enhancing nutrient use efficiency and risk assessment of polluted soils. Like him, his colleagues spend considerable time in interacting with the farmers and the extension agencies. This is a mandatory component of their work profile as required in any ICAR (the Indian Council of Agricultural Research) institute. The soil testing laboratory, called the Centre for Soil, Plant and Water Analysis acts as a hub to coordinate with all the other soil testing laboratories in the country.  This was evident with the amount of soil samples lying around in the laboratory!

Some of the potential areas for collaboration that were outlined to me included studying the effect of nano particles, crop modelling aspects, carbon sequestration and links to climate change, site specific nutrient management via distance mode. I talked about mySoil, a smartphone app which is a joint initiative from the British Geological Survey and the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, that allows people to view and upload information about soils in their area.

After this interaction, it was very evident to me that soil is not only ‘what plants grow in’, but it is much more besides. It is definitely not just ‘dirt’!