Peer review

Peer-review: No - Open Access: No

Nitrogen (N) is a key factor for cereal production in India. N is predominantly supplied to the plants through fertiliser application. The average response to applied fertiliser N has been declining steadily over the past decades. As a result, farmers are compelled to apply higher doses of fertiliser N to maintain the yields of the preceding years. Considering the increasing demand of N fertiliser in the coming years, wide variability in soil N supplying capacity and wide production gaps in the predominant cereals, the present on-farm study was undertaken in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP). The objective was to estimate response of cereals (rice, wheat and maize) to N application, the economics and profitability of N application with changing fertiliser price scenario. On-farm results indicated yield loss due to N omission to the tune of 667-3337 kg ha-1in rice, 500-4750 kg ha-1 in wheat and 400- 5160 kg ha-1 in maize. On the other hand, optimum use of N at observed N response levels, current and projected prices of N fertiliser and minimum support price of rice, wheat and maize had return on investment e? 3 indicating increasing significance of precise N management in cereals in the IGP. Results also suggest that advanced strategies of N management considering the indigenous N supplying capacity of soil, yield response, and agronomic efficiency of N at a given environment may become an important tool for improving farm profitability from N use in IGP.

Borlaug Institute for South Asia|Conservation Agriculture Program

Text in English

CIMMYT Informa No. 1810

INT3072|INT3482|INT3064

CIMMYT Staff Publications Collection