Fertility Mapping and Balanced Fertilization for Sustaining Higher Productivity of the Pearl Millet-Wheat Cropping System in Agra District

Fertility Mapping and Balanced Fertilization for Sustaining Higher Productivity of Pearl Millet-Wheat Cropping System in Agra District, 2011

The project assessed a plant-based approach to develop SSNM strategies for pearl millet-wheat system. Omission plot trials in farmers’ fields helped assess the wheat nutrient response in the study area. This information was used in the Nutrient Expert (NE) for wheat, a nutrient application decision support tool to develop field specific nutrient recommendation. The relative performance of NE generated fertilizer recommendation was compared to a soil-test based recommendation (OPT) and the existing general fertilization practice (SR) in 16 farmers’ field trials. The trials assessed five treatments: (i) OPT (180 kg N, 90 kg P₂O₅, 100 kg K₂O and 40 kg S/ha); (ii) OPT-N; (iii) OPT-P; (iv) OPT-K; (v) State Recommendation (120 kg N, 60 kg P₂O₅, 40 kg K₂O/ha); and (vi) NE (140 kg N, 68 kg P₂O₅ and 81 kg K₂O/ha ) for a target yield of 6 t/ha. The soil test-based recommendation produced the highest wheat grain yield (5,847 kg/ha) followed by nutrient recommendation from NE (5,639 kg/ha). Average grain yield in farmers’ fields under State Recommendation (SR) was 5,223 kg/ha. Omission of nutrients reduced wheat grain yield by 38.1 % (- N), 20.7 % (-P), and 23.1 % (-K). The optimum treatment (OPT) produced higher net returns (INR 57,673/ha) than SR (INR 50,917/ha), but was at par with NE (INR 56,144/ha). Benefit: Cost ratio of the NE, OPT, and SR treatments were 2.25, 2.22, and 2.11, respectively.

Pearl millet was grown in the following kharif season in farmers’ field with the following treatments: (i) OPT (120-70-100-30 kg N-P-K-S/ha); (ii) OPT- N; (iii) OPT- P; (iv) OPT - K; and (v) OPT - S to develop SSNM strategies. The nutrient rate in the optimum treatment was based on omission plot studies done in the previous year. Grain yield (4,147 kg/ha), stover yield (8,204 kg/ha) and net income (INR 25,659/ha) were highest in the optimum treatment. Average response for N, P and K were ≈1.5, 1.0 and 0.5 t/ha, respectively. Average yield reductions in pearl millet across 16 farmers’ fields due to N, P, K, and S omissions were 34.1, 22.1, 11.2, and 4.6 %, respectively. India-006