Global Maize Project in India: Dharwad, Karnataka - Site Specific Nutrient Management in Maize-Wheat cropping system in Northern Karnataka

The Global Maize Project in Dharwad compared the effect of ecological intensification (EI) over farmer practice (FP) for improving the productivity of the maize-wheat cropping system while ensuring higher nutrient use efficiency. EI is considered an improved nutrient management practice following the principles of 4R Nutrient Stewardship and integrating other best crop management practices. Selection of potential planting material, maintaining optimum plant population and crop residue management were the other major interventions under EI.

Maize was planted during the seventh consecutive monsoon season and EI recorded a significantly higher maize yield (6.5 t/ha), which was 16% greater than FP. This observation was consistent with the results obtained in the last six years. The other metrics considered for evaluating the performance of EI over FP include enhanced nutrient use efficiency. Partial Factor Productivity for N (PFP-N), which answers "how productive is a maize cropping system in comparison to its N input" was high in EI (18.7), and above FP (17.1), indicating that EI practices resulted in better maize yield with the right intervention on N rate. Agronomic efficiency (AE-N) was also higher under EI (35.7) than with FP (9.1). The wheat crop is yet to be harvested and efforts are made to continually improve the EI over FP. For example, the inclusions of legumes in the current maize-wheat system is one such intervention.