Balanced and integrated nutrient management for enhanced and economic food production: case study from rainfed semi-arid tropics in India

    Chander, G and Wani, S P and Sahrawat, K L and Kamdi, P J and Pal, C K and Pal, D K and Mathur, T P (2013) Balanced and integrated nutrient management for enhanced and economic food production: case study from rainfed semi-arid tropics in India. Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science. pp. 1-16. ISSN 0365-0340

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    Abstract

    Soil degradation in the semi-arid tropics (SAT) is mainly responsible for low crop and water productivity. In Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan states in India, the soil analyses of farmers' fields revealed widespread deficiencies of S (9–96%), B (17–100%) and Zn (22–97%) along with that of P (25–92%). Soil organic C was deficient in 7–84% fields indicating specifically N deficiencies and poor soil health in general. During on-farm evaluations in rainy seasons 2010 and 2011, the soil test based addition of deficient nutrient fertilizers as balanced nutrition (BN) increased crop yields by 6–40% (benefit to cost ratios of 0.81–4.28) through enhanced rainwater use efficiency. The integrated nutrient management (INM), however, decreased the use of chemical fertilizers in BN by up to 50% through on-farm produced vermicompost and recorded yields at par or more than BN with far better benefit to cost ratios (2.26–10.2). Soybean grain S and Zn contents improved with INM. Applied S, B, Zn and vermicompost showed residual benefits as increased crop yields for succeeding three seasons. Hence, results showed INM/BN was economically beneficial for producing more food, while leading to resilience building of SAT production systems.

    Item Type: Article
    Divisions: UNSPECIFIED
    CRP: UNSPECIFIED
    Uncontrolled Keywords: soil degradation; micronutrients; vermicompost; productivity; resilience
    Subjects: Others > Food and Nutrition
    Others > Agriculture-Farming, Production, Technology, Economics
    Depositing User: Mr Siva Shankar
    Date Deposited: 21 Feb 2013 07:55
    Last Modified: 21 Feb 2013 08:01
    URI: http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/6623
    Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03650340.2012.761336
    Projects: UNSPECIFIED
    Funders: Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, Mumbai
    Acknowledgement: UNSPECIFIED
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