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The greatest challenge facing mankind in the 21st century is to produce the basic necessities of food, feed, fibre, fuel and raw materials for some of the industrial goods and the situation is further deteriorated due to the mushrooming growth in population. Supporting the increasing population levels through production of basic necessities from finite and nearly stabilized agricultural land places a heavy burden on the soil resources - particularly its nutrient supplying power. Pakistan is one of the several countries where the stress on the soil is increasing. One yardstick of the nutrient stress on soil is the quantum of nutrients removed annually by harvested crop in relation to native soil fertility and what is added to the soil in the form of plant residues, organic, inorganic and bio-fertilizer. In nature organic and inorganic sources co-exist and revolve in the same cycle for nutrient application, use, removal and return to the soil. The book in hand can furnish baseline useful information for the agricultural researchers, planners, students and should be in each and every agriculture library.

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Served Agri.Res.System as R.O.& Eco.Botanist, published 10 res.papers.Now Sug.Botanist at SCRI Mardan. Prof.Dr.Paigham Shah have many papers,books,supervised Ph.D,M.Sc graduates. Dr.Ayub Khan served Agri. Res. System Res. Officer, published 10 books,30 res.papers,21 bulletins &approved 09 varieties.Now Asstt.Prof.,Agri.Deptt.Hazara Univ.

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