Global Maize Project in India: Ranchi, Jharkhand - Site Specific Nutrient Management in Maize-Wheat cropping system in Ranchi, Jharkhand

IPNI-2009-IND-GM22

25 Mar 2015

2014 Annual Interpretive Summary


To mitigate the gap in food production, a series of field experiments were carried out at Birsa Agricultural University. Investigations started in 2009-10 with a conventional variety of maize (var. Suwan composite 1) grown during kharif (June to October) and wheat (Var. K 9107) during rabi (November to March). Afterwards, the experiments were conducted with hybrid maize (variety-Pioneer 30V92) and wheat (variety-DBW-17) with higher potential yields. The results of 2011-12 and 2012-13 were pooled and explained here.

Under the long-term system evaluation of ecological intensification (EI) management and farmers’ fertilization practices (FP), the highest mean grain yield of maize (6.1 t/ha) and wheat (4.0 t/ha) were recorded with the application of 180-90-100 kg N-P2O5-K2O/ha for maize and 130-70-60 kg N-P2O5-K2O/ha for wheat followed by FP (2.5 and 1.0 t/ha of maize and wheat, respectively). Under the maize-wheat system, the NPK treatment recorded 202% higher maize equivalent yield than that of FP. Grain yield in terms of maize equivalent was reduced to 81% in absence of N application in the system.

The second experiment, testing the effect of N application rate and time, revealed that the application of N in maize at 240 kg/ha in three splits based on a leaf color chart (LCC) recorded a maximum grain yield of 7.8 t/ha, which was at par with N in maize at 160 kg/ha in three splits on the basis of LCC. A similar trend was also observed in case of nutrient uptake. In wheat, a higher rate of N (150 kg/ha) applied in three splits based of LCC resulted in higher grain yield (4.9 t/ha). The percent increase in maize equivalent yield of the system over no N application was 592% with the application of 240 and 150 kg N/ha in maize and wheat, respectively.

Under the experiment on omission plot/QUEFTS calibration, mean yield of maize recorded was 7.3 t/ha with the incorporation of wheat straw and application of ample NPK (250-120-120), which remained at par with SSNM (200-90-100) (6.5 t/ha). In case of no incorporation of wheat straw, a higher yield of maize (6.8 t/ha) was observed with NPK (250-120-120) than that with SSNM (5.9 t/ha). The lowest yield of maize recorded with or without incorporation of wheat straw was 4.5 t/ha and 6.0 t/ha, respectively in N omitted plots. However, in wheat (rabi) the higher yields of 4.7 and 4.6 t/ha were found with NPK at 150-110-100 with and without incorporation of maize straw, respectively, followed by SSNM (120-70-60) 4.6 and 4.4 t/ha, respectively. Reduction in yield of the system followed the order; (with incorporation) -N (85%) < -P (33%) < -K (21%); (without incorporation) -N (85%) < -P (38%) < -K (33%).