Global Maize Project in India: Ranchi, Jharkhand - Site Specific Nutrient Management in Maize-Wheat cropping system in Ranchi, Jharkhand

IPNI-2009-IND-GM22

28 Feb 2013

2012 Annual Interpretive Summary


Three sets of field experiments were conducted at Birsa Agricultural University farm at Ranchi, Jharkhand on system evaluation of ecological intensification (EI), optimization of rate and time of N application, and omission plot studies with maize and wheat. The trials were carried out with hybrid maize grown during kharif (monsoon) and wheat during rabi (winter) seasons. Relevant soil properties were also measured. The first experiment included long-term system evaluation of EI management versus farmers' fertilization practices (FFP) with four treatments: EI (180 kg N, 90 kg P2O5 and 100 kg K2O), EI–N (0 kg N, 90 kg P2O5 and 100 kg K2O), FFP and FFP–N for maize and wheat crops. The second experiment involved the effect of rate and time of N application, and comprised of 12 treatments including four levels of N (0, 80, 160, and 240 kg N/ha) in maize and (0, 50, 100, and 150 kg N /ha) in wheat with three different methods of N application. A common dose of 100 kg P2O5 and 100 kg K2O/ha in maize and 90 kg P2O5 and 80 kg K2O/ha in wheat were applied uniformly. The third experiment included analyzing the effect of nutrient management (omission plot) and it consisted of five treatments: 250:120:120 kg/ha N:P:K application in maize and 150:110:100 kg/ha N:P:K application in wheat, SSNM in maize at 200:90:100 kg/ha N:P:K and SSNM for wheat at 120:70:60 kg/ha N:P:K, and omission of N, P and K to assess the soil nutrient supplying capacity on a long-term basis.

Highest grain yields of maize (7.9 t/ha) and wheat (4.1 t/ha) were obtained with the EI treatment in maize and 130 kg N, 70 kg P2O5 and 60 kg K2O in wheat. These yields were two to three times higher than the yields obtained with FFP (3.2 and 2.2 t/ha for maize and wheat, respectively). The study indicated about 120% higher maize equivalent yield in the system over FFP. Highest yield of maize (6.5 t/ha) in experiment 3 was obtained in the SSNM treatment followed by the ample NPK (6.1 t/ha) treatment, while highest yield (4.7 t/ha) of wheat was found in the ample NPK treatment followed by the SSNM treatment (3.7 t/ha). The maximum reduction in yield of the system (80%) was recorded where N was omitted, followed by the omission of P (36%) and K (15%). It can thus be inferred from the data that SSNM can help increase productivity of maize and wheat by two to three times in Jharkhand. IPNI-22