Nutrient Management in Oilseed Crops

摘要

India occupies a premier position in global oilseed scenario accounting for 19% oilseeds area and 9% of oilseeds production. Oilseeds are rich sources of energy and nutrition. Edible oils and oil meals have an important role to play in relieving malnutrition and calorie nutrition of human and animal population. The oilseeds scenario has undergone a dramatic change in recent years where in the oilseed sector became a net foreign exchange earner leading to Yellow Revolution. Edible oil consumption is both income and price-elastic and hence the per capita cnsumption is continuously rising reaching almost 12.5 kg/annum during 1998-99. For a projected population of 1180 million in 2010,the edible oil needs,with a per capita consumption of 15 kg,work out to 17.7 million tonnes, equivalent to 51 million tonnes of oilseeds. The government has set a target of 42 million tonnes of oilseeds production by 2010. Substantial scope for harnessing the potential of oilseeds exists both in terms of increase in cropped area and productivity. Rational and scientific management of plant nutrients is one of the important means of increasing and sustaining oilseeds production. Oilseeds are energy rich crops and the requirement of all nutrients is very high. The estimated major nutrient (NPK)removal to produce 42 and 51 million tonnes of oilseeds in 2010 comes to 5.103 and 6.195 million tonnes, respectively. Out of these, nearly 42% amounting to 2.185 and 2.592 million tonnes of N,P_2O_5 and K_2O has to come from fertilisers and rest through other sources for producing 42 and 51 million tonnes of oilseeds respectively. In addition,large amounts of secondary and micronutrients is also required to get desired results. There is need to integrate different sources of nutrients for enhancing and sustaining oilseeds production without deleterious effect on long-term soil fertility and productivity.