Farmers hit by DAP shortage - What is the right way ahead?

As sowing for Rabi begins, farmers are hit hard by the inadequate supply of DAP. This is specially required for root establishment and development. Thus, DAP is applied at the time of sowing. Such was the chaos due to low stocks that police had to be called ! DAP was given as per the slips issued by the police as dealers feared some stress in the serpentine queues. The reason apparently lies in insufficient imports and rising international prices. The current MRP of DAP is Rs 1350/- per bag [ Rs 27,000 per ton]With a subsidy of Rs 21.911 the gross realisation for companies comes out to be Rs 48,911 per ton. On the other hand the landed price of DAP per ton is $642-644 i.e Rs 53,940 -54,100 per ton. Adding the import duty, port handling, bagging, interest and dealer margins the cost goes to about Rs 65,000 per ton. The resultant loss makig proposition has meant that only 19.58lac tons got imported during April to September as compared to 34.53 lac ton in April to Sep in 2023.

In Haryana - Hissar district as per the Deputy director of Agriculture only 8000MT of DAP was made available against a demand of 25,000 MT.Wheat and mustard need 1 bag per acre but potato needs around 3 bags per acre. Currently, mustard farmers faced the heat but after Diwali when wheat sowing begins there would be a greater stress if stocks are not replenished quickly.

Phosphorus (P) use efficiency in alkaline/calcareous soils of DAP is only 20% due to precipitation of P2O5 with calcium and magnesium. However, coating Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) with phosphorus solubilizing bacteria (PSB) is more appropriate to increase fertilizer use efficiency. The use of phosphate solubilizing bacteria could maintain the balance between nutrient uptake and crop output. Excretion of organic acids, extracellular enzymes’ production, and secretion of siderophores are the main mechanisms performed by phosphorus solubilizing microbes for improving soil fertility status and uptake of available P by plants.

Coating of DAP fertilizer with phosphorus solubilizing bacteria and metabolites could be effective as compared to conventional fertilizer to get continuous and slow release of P for longer time interval.Coating of mineral fertilizer is very effective in increasing growth and PUE in maize even at lower rates of application i.e., at 50 and 75% as compared to full dose of conventional fertilizer. However, as a perspective, there is need to assess the potential of such PGPB-impregnated fertilizers to enhance the growth and yield of agricultural crops under field conditions.[Murad, S., Ahmad, M., Hussain, A. et al. Efficacy of DAP coated with bacterial strains and their metabolites for soil phosphorus availability and maize growth. Sci Rep 14, 11389 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-61817-6 ]

FUE is a very important aspect to improve the yields and conserve soils. WIth vast stores of insoluble phosphorus in our soils and low organic matter it is worthwhile to coat the DAP with PSB and metabolites.

WIth past experience of 2 decades Kan Biosys has product - Team Bio2 or TB2 which contains PSB - Bacillus polymyxa in liquid formulation. It can be used by drip application, soil drenching or sprayed on DAP granules to improve the FUE of DAP. TB2- bacterium is also secretes phosphatases and organic acids together with plant growth promoting susbstances which improve root growth. Application of Tb-2 also has been found to promote flowering, fruit set and quality if applied at the time of flowering.