Abstract
Leaching of chemical fertilizers out of the crop rootzone is a two way problem. On the one hand, leaching results in loss of fertilizer and on the other, it may pollute the groundwater. In view of resource-use-efficiency and a need to maintain drinking quality of subsurface water, investigation into the fertilizer leaching was conducted. The results revealed noticeable leaching up to 90 em, whereas traces of fertilizer were also observed at 150 cm soil depth. As watertable depth for about 30% of 41 million acre area of Indus Basin is within 150 cm from ground surface, thus, a sizeable part of subsurface water reservoir is under a direct threat of fertilizer pollution. This study further indicated that fertilizer-tillage-irrigation matrix can be managed to reduce this hazard.