Economic Assessment of Adopting Nutrient Expert® Wheat Model Vs Conventional Wheat Fertilizer Application Management in Morang, Nepal

Saurav Raj Kunwar,Sujata Bogati,Lal Prasad Amgain,Esendugue Greg Fonsah

doi:10.5296/jas.v7i3.14900

Abstract

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production is very sensitive towards the proper nutrient dose and its application methods. Wheat production in Nepal is declining due to inadequate fertility application and/or management program. Nutrient Expert® (NE) Model was adopted to compare with the conventional fertilizer application. Thus, the objectives of this research were to assess the adopted Nutrient Expert® Model vis-à-vis its conventional counterpart in Morang District of Nepal. The experiment was conducted from January 2015 to August 2017 in Itahara and Babiyabirta of Morang district of Eastern Nepal. The experiment comprised of two treatments and twenty replications. The results showed that there is a significant yield difference between the adopted Nutrient Expert® software doses compared to the farmers’ conventional practices. The percent increase in the grain yield among the treatments was 95.33% in Nutrient Expert® compared to the conventional system. Significantly, higher net return was recorded in treatment NE (Nepalese Rupee (NRs.) 47,968) than the farmers’ fields practice (NRs 10,784). Field experiment validation confirmed that the Nutrient Expert® Wheat model could be used as a practical tool for the decision support system to make a more authentic fertilizer recommendation.

Highlights

According to FAOSTAT (2017), wheat is the third most important cereal crop in Asia, after maize and rice
The highly significant result was obtained between Farmers’ Fertilizer Practice (FFP) and NE in terms of simulated yield from Nutrient Expert® Wheat model
The higher yield was due to proper nutrient management that was recommended by the Nutrient Expert® tool, which resulted in high tillering and a greater number of grains per spike (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

According to FAOSTAT (2017), wheat is the third most important cereal crop in Asia, after maize and rice. It is one of the most important crops in terms of yields. In Nepal, wheat was a minor cereal in the early 1960s and it is the third most important staple food crop. Yields are decreasing, lower than potential yield, because of poor nutrient management in farmers’ field. Inefficient fertilizer use and large losses to the environment are blamed for the decreasing trend, especially over the use of nitrogen fertilizer. Having access to a science-based fertilizer recommendation is critical for the improvement of fertilizer use efficiency in high yielding crops. Establishing fertilizer recommendations suitable for smallholder farming households in Nepal remains a challenge

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Conclusion