Nutrient Optimization and Yield Intensification of Major Cereal Systems of Eastern India
India is the second largest producer of rice in the world with a production of 100 million t in 2010-11. However, it's current productivity is far below it's attainable yield level. Introducing hybrid rice into the predominant cropping system of eastern India and changing the blanket fertilizer recommendations for high yielding varieties (HYV) for rice to site-specific fertilizer recommendations can help boost rice productivity.
IPNI-2013-IND-522
25 Mar 2015
2014 Annual Interpretive Summary
The first year of experimentation was conducted during 2013-2014 in farmers’ fields of Burdwan and Birbhum District of West Bengal, India to study nutrient optimization and yield intensification of major cereal systems of eastern India. The experiment has nine treatment combinations, including T1: Ample dose of N+P+K+S+Zn, T2: ample -N, T3: ample -P, T4: ample -K, T5: ample -S, T6: ample -Zn, T7: Control (without added fertilizer), T8: Local variety under ample fertilizer, and T9: Local variety under the unfertilized check treatment. The ample dose of NPK were based on yield targets of 5 t/ha and 7 t/ha in Kharif and Boro season, respectively. The dose of nutrients in T1 was 125-50-60 kg N-P2O5-K2O/ha and 200-80-90 kg N-P2O5-K2O/ha in Kharif and Boro, respectively. The high-yielding variety (HYV) of rice in Kharif was MTU 7029 and the local variety was Kabirajsal. The hybrid variety used in Boro was Tej and the variety used in T7 and T8 were IR 36. The black gram cultivar Sarada was grown on residual fertility after Boro rice.
All the growth attributes, yield attributes and yield of the rice-based cropping system were favorably affected where ample NPKSZn was applied. Highest yield levels for both hybrid rice (> 7 t/ha) and HYV rice (> 5/ha), in both seasons, were achieved with application of ample NPKSZn with hybrid rice. During Kharif, with the application of ample NPKZnS, the yield of HYV was much higher than the local variety. A similar effect was observed between the hybrid variety Tej and the HYV IR 36. Significantly higher yield in T1 compared to T7 indicates the existence of a synergistic relation between variety and balanced fertilization. Application of ample NPKSZn resulted in the highest net returns and return per Rupee invested. Highest nutrient response during Kharif and Boro was also obtained in case of N followed by P and K in most cases. The response to Zn was lowest during all seasons and all locations. The nutrient response values were higher during Boro compared to Kharif.