Ludhiana, Oct. 7 -- Following the floods in early September that damaged the kharif crop, the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has swung into action to restore the nutrient imbalances in the soil in the affected areas ahead of the rabi sowing. "We are trying to ensure that the damage caused by the flood now doesn't affect the upcoming rabi crop, including wheat," said PAU vice-chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal. He said that the floodwaters left a thick layer of sand over the fertile land. "The sand is devoid from any nutrition. It just covers the fertile land and has to be removed before the wheat sowing season," he said. "The varsity will guide the farmers across the affected district through its Krishi Vigyan Kendras to assess the changed nutrition profile of the soil in their fields and guide them accordingly for corrective measures," he said, adding, "We have prepared teams at the KVK to visit villages and help the farmers in the effort." He said with coordinated testing, targeted nutrient management and community-level extension support, PAU aims at helping farmers to rebuild the fertility and resilience of the farmlands. The Department of Soil Science at PAU under the supervision of Rajeev Sikka conducted tests in villages across Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, Kapurthala and Patiala. Sikka emphasised that farmers should get their solid tested so that the necessary corrective steps could be taken. Makhan Singh Bhullar, director of extension education, urged farmers to integrate organic matter into the soil. For the rabi season, PAU has advised farmers to apply a 2% urea spray about 40 to 50 days after sowing to boost growth. In wheat and berseem crops, manganese deficiency should be watched for; if symptoms appear, a 0.5% foliar spray of manganese sulphate (in 100L of water per acre) is recommended and repeated after a week....