Speaking as the chief guest at a meeting of scientists advisory committee of Krishi Vigyan Kendra at Fatehabad today, Dhankhar said farmers should be encouraged to get their soil and water tested before sowing crops.
The testing should also be done before planting horticulture crops which would help in identifying nutrients available in the soil and farmers could use manures and chemical fertilisers as per need in proper quantity, he said.
He also appealed for greater use of latest farm techniques such as bed planter, zero tillage, laser land leveler and micro irrigation developed by the University to conserve water.
In his presidential address, Dr R P Narwal, Research Director of the Agricultural University said that the institute had evolved more than 350 advanced varieties of various crops, fruits and vegetables, which have substantially increased production in the state.
"Today, Haryana is a pioneer state in the production of mustard in the country", he added.
Appreciating the working of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, he said professional training programmes on food processing, value addition and storage of seeds and food grains should be organised to minimise post harvest losses in the state.