Balanced nutrient management: Effects on plant zinc

Abstract

Participatory on-farm research on the diagnosis and management of nutrient disorders over the last decade by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi- Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and its partners has established that multi-nutrient deficiency is the norm rather than an exception. The results of analysis of a large number of soil samples from farmers’ fields in the semi-arid tropical regions of India showed that generally the soils are low in organic carbon (C), indicating general poor soil health. Apart from deficiencies of the major nutrients nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), the deficiencies of secondary nutrient sulfur (S) and micronutrients especially zinc (Zn) and boron (B) are widespread and indeed revealing. The results from a large number of on-farm follow-up trials comparing soil test-based balanced nutrition with farmers’ inputs showed that balanced plant nutrient management significantly increases crop productivity (Sahrawat and Wani 2013) and enhances grain and straw quality of crops (Sahrawat et al. 2008). Currently...