An agricultural engineer, Mr Mensah Muzan, has advised farmers against burning of their bush after clearing.
Muzan, who gave the advice in Port Harcourt recently, disclosed that rather than burning the bush after clearing, farmers should do mulching in order to retain moisture that would stimulate crop germination after planting.
Mulching entails use of the cleared vegetation to cover the planted crops.
The method serves as a protective covering of rotten vegetable matter spread to reduce evaporation and soil erosion, he disclosed.
According to him, burning of bush after clearing destroys the top soil and also kills valuable bacteria and other organisms that help in the process of enriching the soil.
“Organisms like earthworm, millipede and other soil fixing bacteria are killed, when farmers burn their prepared land”, he said.
Muzan dismissed the idea that when farmlands are burned, planted crops do well.
He said, rather, it only encouraged the growth of weeds, which he described as one of the major enemies of the farmer.
Explaining further he said that mulching was ideal always, especially during the dry and hamattan period due to the absence of rain and the attendant dryness.
“During the dry season and hamattan, everywhere becomes dry so when a farmer does mulching, the cover helps in retaining moisture from the dew and helps keep the planted crops cool.
He further spoke of the dangers inherent in getting rid of the top soil during land preparation by farmers even as he called on farmers to desist from the practice.