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

The project aims at Improving pearl millet-wheat cropping system yield through balanced fertilization based on assessment of nutrient availability through a plant-based approach.

IPNI-2010-IND-506

04 Apr 2014

2013 Annual Interpretive Summary


This project was initiated to assess the spatial variability in soil fertility in an intensively cultivated village of Uttar Pradesh. More than 100 soil samples were collected from Panwari village of Agra district to assess the spatial distribution of N, P, K, S, and Zn. Soil analysis revealed that available N content of the study area varied from 100 to 308 kg/ha, available P from 8 to 62 kg/ha, available K from 70 to 235 kg/ha, available S from 10 to 45 kg/ha and available Zn from 0.4 to 1 mg/kg. Most of the soil samples (97%) from Panwari village were low in available N status. About 48 to 51 % samples were categorized as medium and high, respectively, in available P. Available K status was low and medium in 35 and 65% samples, respectively. Available S status was low to medium in all the samples. About 36% samples were deficient in available Zn.

In the second phase of the study, omission plots with four treatments, viz., ample NPKS, -N, -P, and -S were set up in Panwari, Garhi Bhuria, Gamri, Nagar, and Atoos villages of Agra district to assess the impact of nutrient omission on wheat yields. The fertilizer rates used in the ample NPKS were 180 kg N, 90 kg P2O5, 100 kg K2O, and 40 kg S/ha. Two other treatments were also included in the study to compare the yields between the state recommended (SR) fertilizer rates (120 kg N, 60 kg P2O5, 40 kg K2O/ha) and Nutrient Expert® (NE)-based fertilizer recommendation rates. Nitrogen, P, K, and S omissions reduced average wheat yields by 42, 10, 25, and 8%, respectively, as compared to the ample NPKS treatment across all sites. The corresponding reduction in yield of pearl millet due to omissions of N, P, K, and S were 31, 18, 6, and 3%, respectively. Field experiments also compared the ample NPKS treatment with the NE-based fertilizer recommendation and the ad-hoc recommendation for wheat. Results revealed that ample NPKS produced the highest average grain yield (7.04 t/ha), followed closely by the NE-based fertilizer recommendation (6.98 t/ha). Net returns from the ample NPKS treatment (INR 75,850/ha) were statistically similar to the net returns from NE-based recommendation (INR 74,776/ha). Ad-hoc fertilizer recommendation for wheat in the region produced lower average yield (5.98 t/ha) and average net return (INR 63,172/ha) as compared to ample NPKS and NE treatments.