Balanced Fertilization for Enhancing the Productivity of the Pearl Millet-Wheat-Green Gram Crop Sequence in Agra, Uttar Pradesh

This study was initiated to intensify the pearl millet-wheat cropping system through balanced application of nutrients for a targeted system yield as well as by inclusion of a legume crop in the system. Pearl millet-wheat is a common cropping system in dryland areas of India. However, system yields are often low due to inadequate and unbalanced nutrient application to the crops. In the present study, eight nutrient application treatments (T1: Farmers' Practice; T2: 3.75 and 3 t/ha target yield of pearl millet and wheat, respectively; T3: 4 t/ha target yield of pearl millet and wheat; T4: 4.5 and 5 t/ha target yield of pearl millet and wheat, respectively; T5: 5 and 6 t/ha target yield of pearl millet and wheat, respectively; T6: N Omission from T5; T7: P Omission from T5; and T8: K Omission from T5) were used in five farmers fields with three replications in Agra district of Uttar Pradesh. Green gram will be planted after winter wheat on residual soil fertility.

Preliminary results at the end of the first season of pearl millet crop in 2012 showed that the average yield in farmers' practice was 3.2 t/ha. Treatments T2, T3, T4, and T5 produced average yields of 4.1, 5, 5.6, and 6 t/ha, respectively. Nutrient applications rates for the treatments (T2 to T6), based on uptake requirement of targeted pearl millet yield and nutrient use efficiency, achieved the pre-determined target yields. Omission of N, P and K from T5 caused pearl millet yield loss of 3.2 (T6), 2.5 (T7), and 1.1 (T8) t/ha respectively as compared to T5. The average agronomic efficiencies of N, P₂O₅ and K₂O across sites were 21, 26 and 16 kg grain/kg of nutrient.

The current average yield of pearl millet in India is about 0.7 t/ha, with Uttar Pradesh having the highest average productivity of 1.6 t/ha. Results from the present study showed that a yield of 6.0 t/ha of pearl millet could be achieved with balanced and adequate application of nutrients. Winter wheat has now been planted after pearl millet. The appropriate nutrient rates for different targeted yields of wheat have been estimated using Nutrient Expert® (NE) for Wheat, a nutrient decision support tool developed by IPNI to facilitate the application of site-specific nutrient management principles and 4R Nutrient Stewardship in on-farm situations. India-019