Improving nutrient use efficiency and profitability in rainfed production systems
Prevalence of yield gaps, multiple nutrient deficiencies and low nutrient use efficiencies in rainfed region helped in initiating this project. The project was aimed at establishing strategies for improving nutrient use efficiencies and enhancing productivity and profitability of farmers in the rainfed region.
IPNI-2010-IND-514
28 Feb 2012
Annual Interpretive Summary
Improving nutrient use efficiency in rainfed areas has always been a major challenge, which could be addressed through balanced nutrition and soil moisture conservation. This project was established to study the impact of balanced nutrient use coupled with conservation tillage systems on productivity, profitability and nutrient use efficiency in maize-horsegram cropping sequence.
Highest grain (4.7 t/ha) and stover (7.9 t/ha) yields of maize were obtained with balanced nutrient treatment receiving 150-60-80 kg N-P2O5-K2O/ha along with 30 kg S, 10 kg Zn, and 0.5 kg B for a yield target of 4 t/ha. However, no significant difference in grain and stover yield of maize was observed among the tillage systems during the first year of maize crop. In case of horsegram, grown on residual fertility applied to maize, yields differed significantly among the tillage options. Horsegram yields varied from 264 to 443 kg/ha in conventional tillage system with highest yield recorded in S omission plot (443 kg/ha) followed by optimum treatment (418 kg/ha). In conservation tillage system, optimum treatment recorded low yield (578 kg/ha) compared to omission of S (643 kg/ha), P (635 kg/ha), N (618 kg/ha), and Zn (596 kg/ha), with the lowest yield recorded in absolute control (464 kg/ha). There is a need to understand nutrient dynamics in conservation tillage system for explaining such yield variations. Further, soil properties did not change with tillage options. Initial soil reaction (pH) of 5.1 increased to 5.6 after the harvest of horsegram in both the tillage systems, whereas the initial soil organic carbon of 0.34% increased slightly to 0.43% in the conventional till and to 0.41% in conservation tillage plots. Optimum nutrient treatment had the highest residue cover (45%) followed by omission of Zn (42%), K & S (41%) and B (40%) with the least residue cover noticed in absolute control (31%). This emphasizes the importance of balanced nutrition for maximum residue retention in rainfed areas. Calculations for nutrient use efficiency and economics of balanced nutrition in rainfed areas are currently being done. This project was started in mid-2010 and is planned to continue for 3 years until mid-2013. India-014