The harvest of the planted crops has begun at Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University (MAKÜ).
In the studies conducted by the MAKÜ Agriculture, Livestock, and Food Research Application and Research Center Directorate, the harvest of different forage crops such as barley, sainfoin, triticale, barley, and oats planted on approximately 3,000 decares of land is being carried out.
Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Dalgar: The Experience and Academic Knowledge Reflect on the Yield
Stating that the harvest of the planted crops is going well, Rector Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Dalgar said the following about the harvest: Approximately 3,000 decares of arable land on the campus were planted this year as every year. The harvest is currently underway. With the knowledge gained from previous years' experiences and the impact of rainfall, there is a very good yield. As we are a pilot university in the field of livestock, we conduct very serious research on forage crops. Eight different forage crops are planted on our university's lands. After these are harvested, they are analyzed in a laboratory environment. The results obtained from here contribute to the literature as scientific publications and are shared with the relevant sectors.
In this context, 2,400 decares of the 3,000 decares of arable land suitable for agriculture have been planted this year and are being harvested. Currently, 600 decares of land have been left fallow for reclamation purposes. There are many different products here such as triticale, sainfoin, oats, barley, and wheat. These products require little water and have high nutritional value and yield. Our team conducts experiments on these every year to increase the yield. A portion of the products obtained from this harvest is used to meet the nutritional needs of the animals at our university's Application and Research Center, which we call MAKÜ Farm. Another portion is sold to those in need in the market, thus providing an additional income for our university.
We Contribute to the Country's Production by Protecting Every Square Meter of Our State's Land
Making statements about the studies conducted, Rector Prof. Dr. Dalgar continued his words as follows: The prominent aspect of what we do differently from other sectors here is this: the liquid manure of large animals at our university is given to the biogas facility within the framework of a protocol made with the biogas facility. After energy production, these are poured onto the land as liquid fertilizer. In the studies conducted on this subject; while there was an average yield of around 300 kilos per decare in barley, this year, with the effect of this liquid fertilizer and the scientific improvements made, a yield of around 500 kilos has been achieved. The information given to us by our expert agricultural instructors is in this direction. This is quite pleasing. Of course, we also share this information with the sector. As a university, we both utilize our land and conduct scientific publications, scientific studies, and research on this land, and we share the results obtained from here with the sector. Hopefully, in the next period, we will carry the successful studies we have done in the field of livestock to the field of plant production. We will share this with our university staff, the people of Burdur, and the public in the coming months. We know that Burdur has significant potential in plant production. We are in an academic structuring to activate this potential.
I wish our harvest to be fruitful and prosperous. We will continue to protect every square meter of our state's land and evaluate every square meter of land to contribute to the production of this country. We are striving to share the results obtained from our studies with the entire country, especially Burdur, and the agriculture and livestock sector so that they can benefit from this information and experience.
The Director of the Agriculture, Livestock, and Food Research Application and Research Center, Prof. Dr. Şenol Güzel, stated that the harvested crops in the plant production area are used for feeding the animals in the milking group and said: With this work we are doing, we are also producing an alternative to corn silage. We are carrying out these activities to meet the silage we can make on dry land and feed to the animals from green grass silage. We transport these silages to our farm located in the MAKÜ Campus area and ensure the feeding of the animals there.
Providing information about plant production in the silage studies carried out, Lecturer Müge Güvenç said: “In our land, 600 decares of oats, 700 decares of barley, 530 decares of sainfoin, 15 decares of alfalfa, and 450 decares of triticale will be harvested, and we have left 600 decares of land fallow. Oats were used as green grass silage in this area. It was mowed and ensiled between the milk stage before heading. We also started our grain harvest as of today.”
MAKÜ Also Contributes to the Sustainability of the Soil
Speaking about soil reclamation, Lecturer Dr. Bekir Tosun said, “We are trying to reclaim our university's land using organic matter sources at a rate of 400 decares per year. What benefit did this bring us? As a university, we have reduced the use of chemical fertilizers by approximately 80 percent. Thus, we both contributed to our university and increased the sustainability of the soil,” he said.
