Site-Specific Nutrient Management for Maximum Economic Yield of the Rice-Wheat Cropping System

摘要

The rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS) in India accounts for about one-third of the area of both rice and wheat grown in South Asia and provides staple food grain for more than 400 million people or about 8% of the world's population. This paper discusses a field-specific nutrient management approach that has been adopted as a strategy capable of assuring restoration of soil fertility and sustaining high yields. Of the 12.5 million hectares (M ha) of estimated area managed under RWCS in South Asia, India alone accounts for 10 M ha. Because RWCS is the most widely practiced annual crop rotation in India, and both component crops are staple food grains, a sustained high productivity of RWCS is necessary for national food security. For over a decade, RWCS yields have either stagnated or declined, particularly in high productivity zones. The most important reason is a decline in factor productivity resulting from depletion of soil fertility and emergence of multiple nutrient deficiencies.