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Abstract
Crop modelling can provide us with a vast amount of real-time information about fertilizer dose to achieve the target yield, crop conditions, etc. Nutrient-use efficiency in wheat is low because of conventional blanket and imbalanced fertilizer use. Estimation of fertilizer requirements based on quantitative approaches can assist in improving yields and nutrient-use efficiency. Field experiments were conducted in 20 sites in eastern India to assess the soil supply, requirement and internal efficiency of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), potassium (K) and zinc (Zn) in wheat. The data were used to calibrate the QUEFTS (QUantitative Evaluation of the Fertility of Tropical Soils) model for site-specific, balanced fertilizer recommendations. The parameters of maximum accumulation (a) and maximum dilution (d) in wheat were calculated for N (35 and 100 kg), P (129 and 738 kg), K (17 and 56 kg), and Zn (21502 and 140244 mg). Grain yield of wheat showed good correlation with N (R2 = 0.937∗∗), P (R2 = 0.901∗∗) and K uptake (R2 = 0.801∗∗). The NPK ratio to produce 1 ton grain yield of wheat was derived to be 4.9:1.0:8.9. The relationships between chemical properties and nutrient supplying capacity of soils were also established. The model was validated using the data of four other experiments. Observed yields with different amounts of N, P, K and Zn were in good agreement with the predicted values suggesting that the validated QUEFTS model can be used for site-specific nutrient management in wheat.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, for sponsoring this National Agricultural Technology Project (ICAR/NATP/R-W/7B-3, PSR-25) which was successfully completed in collaboration with International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines and Rice-Wheat Consortium (RWC), New Delhi. It is beyond our grasp of words to acknowledge the farmers of Dhantala and Nokari, District of Nadia, West Bengal, for providing their land for conducting the farmers' field experiments.
