Americas and Oceania Group - International Plant Nutrition Institute

high capsaicin content of 1.5% were also observed at 16 t/ha yield level. Significantly higher net returns
and B:C ratios were realized at 16 t/ha yield level (INR 275,645 and 4.89) compared to 12 t/ha yield level
(INR 166,570 and 3.43). The returns in state recommendation and farmer practice were only INR 103,000
and INR 42,500 with B:C ratios of 2.63 and 1.69, respectively. Thus, the study indicated that SSNM-based
recommendations increased the productivity of green chillies by 2.25 and 3.3 times in Kalliyoor Panchayat of
Kerala with a yield target of 12 and 16 t/ha, respectively. India-013
Improving Nutrient Use Efficiency and Profitability in Rainfed Production Systems
Project Leader: Ch. Srinivasarao, Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture Soil Science and
Agricultural Chemistry Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.
E-mail: cheruku65@rediffmail.com
Improving nutrient use efficiency in rainfed areas has always been a major challenge, which could be
addressed through balanced nutrition and soil moisture conservation. This project was established to study the
impact of balanced nutrient use coupled with conservation tillage systems on productivity, profitability and
nutrient use efficiency in maize-horsegram cropping sequence.
Highest grain (4.7 t/ha) and stover (7.9 t/ha) yields of maize were obtained with balanced nutrient treatment
receiving 150-60-80 kg N-P 2 O 5 -K 2 O/ha along with 30 kg S, 10 kg Zn, and 0.5 kg B for a yield target of 4 t/
ha. However, no significant difference in grain and stover yield of maize was observed among the tillage
systems during the first year of maize crop. In case of horsegram, grown on residual fertility applied to
maize, yields differed significantly among the tillage options. Horsegram yields varied from 264 to 443
kg/ha in conventional tillage system with highest yield recorded in S omission plot (443 kg/ha) followed
by optimum treatment (418 kg/ha). In conservation tillage system, optimum treatment recorded low yield
(578 kg/ha) compared to omission of S (643 kg/ha), P (635 kg/ha), N (618 kg/ha), and Zn (596 kg/ha), with
the lowest yield recorded in absolute control (464 kg/ha). There is a need to understand nutrient dynamics
in conservation tillage system for explaining such yield variations. Further, soil properties did not change
with tillage options. Initial soil reaction (pH) of 5.1 increased to 5.6 after the harvest of horsegram in both
the tillage systems, whereas the initial soil organic carbon of 0.34% increased slightly to 0.43% in the
conventional till and to 0.41% in conservation tillage plots. Optimum nutrient treatment had the highest
residue cover (45%) followed by omission of Zn (42%), K & S (41%) and B (40%) with the least residue
cover noticed in absolute control (31%). This emphasizes the importance of balanced nutrition for maximum
residue retention in rainfed areas. Calculations for nutrient use efficiency and economics of balanced nutrition
in rainfed areas are currently being done. This project was started in mid-2010 and is planned to continue for
3 years until mid-2013. India-014
Maximizing Yield of Groundnut Through Improved Nutrient Management Practices in Acid Soils of Orissa
Project Leader: Ashok Kumar Mohapatra, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Department of Agronomy,
OUAT Bhubaneswar, Orissa. E-mail: ashokmohapatra1957@gmail.com.
Project Cooperator: Sushanta Kumar Pattanayak, OUAT, Bhubaneswar
Groundnut is an important oil seed crop of Orissa, cultivated throughout the year on about 256,000 ha area
with a production of 458,000 t. Currently, its productivity is declining due to sub-optimal nutrient application.
Also, the estimated gap between current (1,791 kg/ha) and attainable (>3,000 kg/ha) yields is quite wide. We
hypothesized that an improved nutrient management strategy will improve yield and quality of groundnut.
For the study, a survey of important groundnut growing areas of Orissa was conducted to identify soil
related constraints and to collect information on cropping history, current nutrient additions, and crop
yields in the region. Ten locations representing coarse-textured sandy soils with acidic soil reaction, and
areas responding to secondary and micronutrient application, were identified. Soil samples were collected
and analyzed for soil properties including available nutrients. The soils were acidic in reaction, low in
organic C, low in available N and K, medium in available P, and deficient in available Zn, S, and B. Five
field experiments were laid out during both kharif (summer, rainy) and rabi (winter) seasons of 2011 at the
identified locations. The treatments compared site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) recommendation
(N+P+K+Ca+S+Zn+B with doses varying from site-to-site based on soil test results), state recommendation
(20-40-40 kg N-P 2 O 5 -K 2 O/ha with 45 kg S, 2.5 kg Zn, 1.0 kg B and 500 kg Ca), farmer practice (23-76-56 kg
N-P 2 O 5 -K 2 O/ha with 11 kg S), and seven nutrient omission plots (i.e., - N, - P, - K, - Ca, - S, - Zn, and - B).
Results at one of the on-station locations indicated that SSNM (30-50-60 kg N-P 2 O 5 -K 2 O/ha along with 56
kg S, 3.3 kg Zn, 1.2 kg B and 500 kg Ca) resulted in 1,140 kg/ha of groundnut yield, which was about 7%
higher than the state average yield (1,070 kg/ha). Low yield in kharif season is attributed to late sowing and
unfavorable weather conditions at the time of sowing. Yields loss due to omission of P, Ca, and S were 850,
920, and 950 kg/ha, respectively. The data for other locations is being compiled. This project was started in
2011 and is planned to continue until mid-2012. India-015
94 IPNI Interpretive Summaries