On-farm testing of a nutrient management decision-support tool for rice in the Senegal River valley

Abstract

We evaluated recommendations provided by a cloud-based decision-support tool named Nutrient Manager for Rice (NMR) in terms of yield of irrigated lowland rice and profitability in comparison with farmers’ fertilizer management practices (FFP) in the Senegal River valley. A total of 102 on-farm trials were conducted over the three seasons (2011 wet season, and 2012 and 2013 dry seasons). On average in each season, NMR recommendations increased rice yield by 1–2.3t/ha and profitability by US$ 216–640 per ha compared to FFP. Differences between FFP and NMR performance were mainly related to timing of the top-dressing of N fertilizer (delayed in the case of FFP), the number of N fertilizer applications (generally just one top-dressing for FFP; two or three for NMR), and application of K. We conclude that NMR offers a promising avenue for increasing the productivity and profitability of irrigated lowland rice in the Senegal River valley.