Nutrient management in wheat (Triticum aestivum) production system under conventional and zero tillage in eastern sub-Himalayan plains of India

Abstract

Present study compares the impact of nutrient management along with different agronomic management practices such as conventional and zero tillage on wheat production. Nutrient Expert® (NE) decision support tool, based on the concept of 4R Nutrient Stewardship, provides nutrient recommendation to the farmers by guiding them choose the right source of fertilizer and advice the right rate, time and place or method of application. Taking due cognizance of above facts, field studies in wheat were conducted at the Instructional Farm under Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Cooch Behar, West Bengal (India) for two consecutive winter seasons of 2014–2015 and 2015–2016.The study highlights that nutrient management with balanced nutrient application, as guided by NE tool, produces significantly higher yield (3.92 and 4.01 t/ha) over other treatments under both conventional (CT) and zero tillage (ZT). Within NE, the yield was significantly higher in CT (4.01 and 3.92 t/ha) over ZT (3.71 and 3.66 t/ha). While the benefit:cost ratio suggests that ZT with NE is the best management practice with holistic consideration towards productivity enhancement and reduced cost of production, significantly higher economic nitrogen use efficiency (ENUE) values in NE was due to balanced application and optimum utilization of N leading to higher grain yield. The value was lowest in Nrich plots where maximum rate of N was applied without significant yield improvement. The CT resulted in higher values of ENUE compared to ZT in the NE treatment due to higher wheat yield at similar N rates. Therefore, the nutrient dose of NE with application of N, P2O5 and K2O at 140, 32.9 and 65 kg/ha, respectively in collaboration with ZT management practice produced a yield with high productivity, good economics and better ENUE.

Keywords

• Nutrient Expert
• 4R-Nutrient Stewardship
• Soil fertility
• Tillage