Agricultural Chemist, Faisalabad launched research
investigations on nutritional requirements of major crops in
Punjab at research stations / Agricultural Farms. Technology
developed through these experiments was not adopted by common
farmers, as it was the outcome of research experiments conducted
under the management systems which differed from that of
farmers. In the year 1958 a project entitled “Rapid Soil
Fertility Survey and Popularisation of the use of Fertilizers in
Pakistan” was commissioned with the objective to carry out soil
fertility investigations under local farming conditions.
Initially it was jointly financed by FAO and Government of
Pakistan. In 1962, the project was re-designated as Soil
Fertility Survey and Soil Testing Institute and was transferred
to Govt. of the then West Pakistan / Punjab with the status of
an independent Directorate in Research Wing of Agriculture
Department. Simple fertilizer trials on farmer’s fields is an
established technique to verify plant nutrient deficiencies