The effect of potassium application in rice-wheat cropping system in Bangladesh is the first of three topics in the Research findings section of this e-ifc issue. The progress Bangladesh has achieved in improving its food security is impressive, and much of it is related to nutrient management.
And in India, public and private research has a pivotal impact on the productivity of Indian agriculture. But what about extension? The Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), in Ludhiana, took research hypothesis and applied them with the mission to advocate good up-to-date science to the farmers of Punjab. The results of this on-farm IPI-PAU experiment conducted by KVK (farmers' training center) are brought here, in the second item of our Research findings.
Poland has a large arable land with fertile soils. Yet, drought during June and July often impairs productivity of summer cereals and sugar beet. Read more about IPI experiments that demonstrate the (well-known) role of potassium in alleviating drought stress.
Meetings are an important component of IPI's activities. In this edition we provide an update of past and future events. Make a note in your diary of our UK meeting from 5-7 December. IPI, together with the International Fertilizer Society (IFS), UK and Prof. I. Cakmak of the Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey are organizing a symposium in Cambridge titled "Potassium and Magnesium: Recent Advances in Research and Application". Invited speakers from Australia, USA, Germany and the UK will present the latest findings on potassium and magnesium uptake by plants, the role of potassium in salinity tolerance, resistance to disease, and alleviating biotic and abiotic stresses, amongst other topics. The keynote papers will be subsequently published in an international peer review journal. Read more about this symposium in the Events section of this issue.
In the K for thought section you will find interesting findings on K depletion in the UK. This worrying phenomenon is not confined to poorly educated farmers... rather it reflects the need for constant monitoring, making sure that all the checks and balances are carried out to ensure that agricultural productivity is maintained.
At mid-year, and before the summer holidays, we wish you all an enjoyable read.
