Nutrient Management in Conservation Agriculture- Focus in MAIZE & WHEAT CRPs

ML Jat
M.Jat@cgiar.org

Global Conservation Agriculture Program (GCAP) International Maize & Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) www.cimmyt.org

Rationale
Sustainable food & livelihood security Management has to play major role- Nutrient management is the key Diminishing NUE-imbalanced and inappropriate nutrient use (Blanket, adhoc, commodity focused recommendations) Escalating fertilizer prices Lack of diagnostic and decision support tools for real time decision/access to information Contrasting management practices (CA v/s conventional)- recommendation unavailable Nutrient management: GHGs, soil health Databases-planning at scale Reaching masses-ICTs

Current Nutrient Recommendations

Mainly based on single crop.. Lacking systems approach Recommended for large areaNot site-specific Do not involve nutrient recycling residue retention/incorporation Does not involve soil moisture regimes No prescription for contrasting tillage practices No recommendation for inter/relay/multiple cropping

NPK Use in India: 1950 to 2007

N consumption per yr. (million tonnes) 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

N Consumption (million tonnes)

Kg grain per kg applied N

PFP of nitrogen (Kg grain yield per kg N applied)

Changes in Agronomic N Use Efficiency for Food Grain Production, total N Consumption and Total Food Grain Production in India

Year

19 8 19 08 1981- 1 8 8 19 2- 2 8 1983- 3 8 8 19 4- 4 8 1985- 5 8 8 19 6- 6 8 1987- 7 8 8 19 8- 8 8 1989- 9 9 9 19 0- 0 9 1991- 1 9 9 19 2- 2 9 1993- 3 9 9 19 4- 4 9 1995- 5 9 9 19 6- 6 9 1997- 7 9 9 19 8- 8 9 2099- 9 0 0 20 0- 0 0 2001- 1 0 0 20 2- 2 0 2003- 3 0 0 20 4- 4 0 2005- 5 0 0 20 6- 6 07 07 -0 8
0 5 10 15 20 Food grain production (0 million tonnes)
Foodgrain production (mil

25

Soil testing laboratories in India & their analyzing capacity: An example

No. of Soil testing Laboratory 551 Analyzing capacity ('000) 6747 No. of samples % analyzed utilization ('000) 4826 71.5

1.3% of total area at 72% capacity utilization and 1.88% at full capacity utilization

Source - DOA, Government of India, Fertilizer statistics

Fertilizer nutrient scenario in Asia, 2008-2012

4

P2O5

K2O

Nutrient Balance (million tonnes)

2 0

20 10

20 11

-4 -6 -8 -10 -12 -14

Source: FAO, 2008

20 12

20 09

20 08

-2

Nutrient Management Perspectives

S. No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Production Variables Cropping Systems Water Table Soil nutrients Tillage, Land leveling Organics Cultivar Choices Climatic variability Policy Dynamics More intensive, Monotony Declined/increased Deficiencies surfaced Contrasting Different Wider Extremes ??

------Everything is changing- How nutrient prescriptions designed for different situations will work under contrasting production environments?

Nutrient Management in relation to CA

-----Soil in good condition (static) or good health (dynamic) benefits from the key components of CA ---Shaxson et al (2008)

1. Minimum disturbance of soil 2. Soil cover 3. Efficient rotations

1. Minimum disturbance of optimum porous soil architecture

Optimum proportions of respiration gases in the rooting-zone Moderates organic-matter oxidation; Porosity to water movement, retention and release at all scales Limits re-exposure of weed seeds and their germination
Source: Kassam (2009)

2. A permanent covering of sufficient organic matter over the soil surface

Buffering against severe impact of solar radiation and rainfall; A substrate for soil organisms activity; Raised cation-exchange capacity for nutrient capture, retention and slow-release; Smothering of weeds Source: Kassam (2009)

3. Cropping sequences and rotations which include legumes

Minimal rates of build-up of populations of pest species, through life-cycle disruption; Biological N-fixation in appropriate conditions, limiting external costs; Prolonged slow-release of such N from complex organic molecules derived from soil organisms; Range of species, for direct harvest and/or fodder; Soil improvement by organic-matter addition at all depths reached.

Source: Kassam (2009)

CA and Soil Nutrient Supplying Capacity

Source: CIMMYT-IPNI Collaborative project report (2010)

Nutrient Experts: Decision Support Tools for SSNM in wheat, maize

Fine tuning and field validation under contrasting management practices in India jointly by IPNI and CIMMYT

Agronomic and economic performance of FFP, SR, and NE (SSNM) based nutrient prescriptions in wheat across sites (n=27) under conservation agriculture practice, IGP, India, (2010-11)
Parameter Grain yield Fertilizer N Fertilizer P Fertilizer K Fertilizer cost GRF

Unit kg/ha kg/ha kg/ha kg/ha USD/ha USD/ha

FFP 4.4 157 24 0.9 57 1034

SR 4.7 139 27 39.0 62 1102

NE 5.2 165 25 69.7 73 1214

P>F <.001 <.001 0.387 <.001 <.001

Statistical analysis (SAS) using Mixed Procedure with sites as random effects, GRF- gross return above fertilizer costs

Source: IPNI-CIMMYT collaborative trials across IGP under CSISA

Future Nutrient Management Focus

S. Current Systems/practices No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Repeated tillage Residue burning/removal Monotonous cropping Crop based management Ex-situ organic recycling Sole cropping Ad-hoc recommendation Future Systems/Practices No-till/Drastically reduced till Reside retention Diversified cropping System based management In-situ organic recycling Intercropping Site/location/situation specific recommendations

Source: Jat et al (2011)

Research Gaps- General?

Improving nutrient use efficiency by optimizing application rates (considering spatial variability, climate etc), as well as time, placement and product use Methods, techniques and technologies to reduce nutrient losses Enhancement of mycorrhizal associations in rotation systems Root exploration and enhanced soil moisture profiles to maximize nutrient uptake/absorption Tools and decision guides for determining timing and amount of irrigation water and nutrient applications Nutrient use efficient genotypes

Research Gaps- Specific?

Scientifically assessed Attainable Yield targets for wheat and maize under different production systems, management practices and ecologies
Cropping Systems, Tillage, Residue management Irrigated/Rainfed scenarios

Nutrient requirements for a target crop yield in above situations

Physiological requirement x Efficiency

Timing of application under different scenarios

CA Systems Water Availability

Method of application under different scenarios

Surface application Drilling Band placement
Outcomes of stakeholder consultations-MAIZE, WHEAT CRP, Launch meeting, Mexico, Jan-2012

Nutrient management R4D

Recommendations at scale: farm, system, and regional levels

Develop, validate, and bring to scale decision support tools and farmer friendly simple practices for system based SSNM for small holder precision Develop and deploy regional recommendations that can be distributed through ICT solutions Calibrating sensors for nutrients beyond N (P, K, Zinc, etc) Establish relationships for on-the-go remote sensing sensors and satellite remote sensing for SSNM and real time access to information using ICT tools Pilots on use of remote sensing and GIS for mapping fertility variability in major wheat and maize systems

Nutrient management R4D----- Optimizing systems: G x M interactions Monitoring soil quality including nutrient losses, GHG fluxes, nutrient x water interactions Develop and manage Databases on Nutrient management and use efficiency in maize and wheat systems: Geo-referencing/ mapping and linking to nutrient prescriptions Application methods (drilling, fertigation, liquidmachinery etc) Capacity building

Policy: issues/interventions
Revised subsidy policies: Situation-specific prioritization (e.g. connect subsidies with the adoption of new technologies) Govt. buy-in into improved nutrient management recommendations Regional allocation of fertilizer nutrients (production systems, season specific) Government support for the adoption of new technologies that improve nutrient use efficiency (e.g. sensors, machinery, access to remote sensing data)

A new vision and strategy

to address these Challenges

WHEAT: Global Alliance for Improving Food

Security and the Livelihoods of the Resource poor in the Developing World

MAIZE: Global Alliance for Improving Food

Security and the Livelihoods of the Resource-poor in the Developing World Strategic Initiatives (SIs)
1. Socioeconomics and policies for maize futures 2. Sustainable intensification and income opportunities for the poor 3. Smallholder precision agriculture 4. Stress tolerant maize for the poorest 5. Towards doubling maize productivity 6. Integrated postharvest management 7. Nutritious maize 8. Seeds of discovery 9. New tools and methods for NARS and SMEs

WHEAT Strategic lnitiative-2: Sustainable wheat-based systems

Equitable innovation systems to apply principles of CA - Enhance rural livelihoods through improving system productivity & profitability - Sequester C - Reduce erosion & land degradation - Improve efficiency of inputs (labour, water, energy etc) - Adapt and mitigate climate change effects

MAIZE Strategic Initiative 2:

Sustainable intensification and income opportunities in smallholder maize-based systems

Integrated and scalable Innovation systems - Focus on small holders - Characterization & mapping maize systems - Increase productivity & improve access to market - Resilient maize systems - Reduce emissions of GHGs -Increase efficiency of inputs

MAIZE Strategic Initiative 3: Closing the yield gap through smallholder precision agriculture Main Objectives Low-risk nutrient management to increase productivity and reduce soil nutrient depletion Optimize fertilizer use and reduce the environmental footprint Access to all MAIZE international public goods (IPGs)

WHEAT Strategic Initiative 3: Nutrient- and water-use efficiency

Main Objectives
Develop and disseminate novel methods, decision guides and information system that allow smallholder irrigated wheat farmers to produce more wheat with less nutrients and water smallholder rainfed farmers to increase yields and reduce risks of economic losses