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A field experiment was conducted during the winter seasons of 2007-08 to at Jobner, India on loamy sand soil to evaluate the effect of integrated nutrient management on growth, productivity and economics of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum). The experiment consisted of fourteen combinations of integrated nutrient management practices for application of recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN) to fenugreek i.e., 40 kg/ha, through different sources, viz., control, inorganic or organic [farmyard manure (FYM), poultry manure (PM), vermicompost (VC) and neem cake (NC)] alone or in combinations was laid out in randomized block design with three replications. Based on three years of study the results revealed that application of all nutrient management treatments through organic and inorganic sources alone or in combination brought significant effect on growth, yield and economics of fenugreek. Further the results revealed that integration of 50% RDN through vermicompost (VC) + 50% RDN through inorganic source to fenugreek recorded higher plant height, branches/ plant, pods/plant, seeds/pod, test weight, seed yield (1781 kg/ha), stover yield (3392 kg/ha), biological yield (5173 kg/ha) and net returns (Rs. 52151/ha). However, maximum benefit cost ratio was fetched with application of 100% RDN through inorganic source.

Nutrient management plays a crucial role in achieving self-sufficiency in food grain production. High price index of chemical fertilizers coupled with mount pollution problem gave rise to interest in precision nutrient management tools. Site specific nutrient management (SSNM) increases and maintains the yield by optimizing the balance between supply and demand of nutrients. Nutrient application as per SSNM concept resulted in significantly higher grain yields of maize, rice, wheat and other important crop over recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) and farmer’s fertilizers practices. The SSNM is real time feeding of crops with nutrients while recognizing the inherent spatial variability which enhances crop productivity, nutrient use efficiency (NUE) and avoids nutrient wastage. For effective SSNM, utilization of different sensing devices of soil and plant nutrient status, decision support systems, GIS, remote sensing, simulation models and nenoparticles play an important role. Traditional techniques like balanced fertilization, use of nitrification inhibitors and slow-release nitrogenous fertilizers (SRNF) are also used to attain higher productivity and reduce environmental pollution. This paper deals with the SSNM approaches which are able to enhance crop productivity, NUE and sustainability.

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Background: A field experiment was conducted under loamy sand soil during two consecutive kharif seasons of 2018 and 2019 at Agronomy farm, S.K.N. College of Agriculture, Jobner, Jaipur to find out the best moisture conservation practices on growth and yield of pearlmillet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br. emend Stuntz] hybrids. Methods: Hybrids viz., RHB-173, RHB-177, MPMH-17 and HHB-67 in main plots and moisture conservation practices viz., control, dust mulch, straw mulch, plastic mulch and seed line mulching of FYM in sub plots were tested using split plot design replicated four. Result: The results further indicated that hybrid RHB-173 being at par with RHB-177 significantly higher plant height, dry matter accumulation, yield attributes, grain yield (2097 kg/ha), stover yield (5500 kg/ha) and biological yield (7597 kg/ha) over MPMH-17 and HHB-67. Result showed that application of plastic mulch recorded significantly increased the plant height, dry matter accumulation, yield attributes, grain yield (2145 kg/ha), stover yield (5620 kg/ha) and biological yield (7764 kg/ha) compared to other moisture conservation practices in both the years of experimentation as well as on pooled basis.