Nutrient Mining in Agro-climatic Zones of Rajasthan

摘要

The present paper attempts to review important characteristics of each agroclimatic zone of Rajasthan including its coverage, soil, climate, principal crops and major constraints to productivity. The native fertility of most of the soil types in Rajasthan is in woeful state. The level of fertilizer consumption is substantially low (43 kg NPK/ha). Analysis of data revealed that the crop removal of plant nutrients (NPK) from soil is of the order of about 21 lakh tonnes and the addition through fertilizers is only 7 lakh tonnes. This simply indicates the annual gap of about 14 lakh tonnes. The nutrient use pattern is not only inadequate but also imbalanced; dominated by N and P fertilizers. The use of K, secondary and micronutrients is neglected in most cases, Mining of K is the highest followed by N, S and P. There is an urgent need to supplement these nutrients to preserve soil health. Suggestions for arresting nutrient mining have also been made to maintain soil fertility and crop productivity on sustainable basis.