Abstract
Intensive tillage-based production systems coupled with inefficient fertilizer management practices have led to increased production costs, sub-optimal productivity, and significant environmental externalities. Conservation agriculture (CA) is being increasingly advocated as a management strategy to overcome these issues but precision nutrient management under the CA-based maize-wheat system is rarely studied. Two year’s (2014–2015 and 2015–2016) research was conducted at the research farm of BISA, Pusa, Bihar, India to develop precision nutrient management practices for CA-based management in the maize-wheat system. Seven treatment combinations involving (i) tillage (conventional tillage; CT & permanent beds; PB) and (ii) nutrient management rates, application methods (farmers’ fertilizer practices; FFP, state recommended dose of fertilizer; SR and precision nutrient management using Nutrient Expert tool; NE and GreenSeeker; (GS), applied using two methods; broadcasting (B) and drilling (D)) were investigated for multiple parameters. The results showed that NE, NE+GS, and SR-based nutrient management tactics with drilling improved crop yields, nutrient-use efficiency (NUE), and economic profitability relative to NE-broadcasting, SR broadcasting, and FFP broadcasting methods. Maize-wheat system productivity and net returns under NE+GS-drilling on PB were significantly higher by 31.2%, 49.7% compared to FFP-broadcasting method, respectively. Total global warming potential (GWP) was lower in the PB-based maize-wheat system coupled with precision nutrient management compared to CT-based maize-wheat system with FFP. Higher (15.2%) carbon sustainability index (CSI) was recorded with NE-drilling compared to FFP-broadcasting method. Results suggests that PB-based maize-wheat system together with precision nutrient management approaches (NE+GS+drilling) can significantly increase crop yields, NUE, and profitability while reducing the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from maize-wheat systems in eastern Indo Gangetic Plains (IGP).
Highlights
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Maize-wheat (MW) system is the third most important cropping pattern in India, occupying about 2.0 million ha (Mha) primarily by smallholder farmers in stress-prone ecologies [1]
A significant amount of total wheat season rainfall occurred during March and April which affected crop production
Our results indicate that Nutrient Expert (NE)-guided drilling method of fertilizer application together with the GS-based nutrient application method can make maize-wheat system a sink of carbon under Conservation agriculture (CA) (PB with residue retention) system
Summary
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Maize-wheat (MW) system is the third most important cropping pattern in India, occupying about 2.0 million ha (Mha) primarily by smallholder farmers in stress-prone ecologies [1]. Are excess soil moisture and heavy infestation of weeds, which leads to significant yield losses and sometimes crop failure Due to these risks during the rainy season, most of the farmers use open-pollinated varieties (OPVs) of maize only for household consumption purpose with suboptimal fertilizer nutrients and other management practices that result in low productivity [2]. In this maize-wheat system, wheat is planted by broadcasting the seed after repeated tillage operations with limited irrigation (1–2) and inappropriate fertilizer management. NUE can be improved by the application of fertilizers at the right period, right rate, right place, and right source
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