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Continuous use of chemical fertilizers is detrimental to soil health and crop productivity. Therefore, we need to recycle the agroresidues in the valorized form (e.g., biochar or compost) to improve soil quality while maintaining crop yield. This study compares different nutrient management practices using varied dose combinations of biochar/compost for sustainable production of rice. We present the results from a controlled environment study under nine different nutrient management options to assess the effect of a novel legume biochar fertilizer compared with legume-derived compost. Our results suggest that a relatively smaller dose of soil test-based balanced fertilization (75% of required nutrients) added with novel biochar (25% nutrient equivalence) is the best combination in nutrient-poor vertisols of semi-arid tropics. The yield benefits from novel biochar fertilizer might find relevance to similar total–N content to compost, although there are noticeable differences in other macronutrients, secondary, and micronutrients. The surface area and C:N ratio are significantly higher for biochar (i.e., 4.47 m2g−1; 37.68) than that of compost (i.e., 0.87m2g−1; 10.5) which provides a boost to rhizospheric interactions resulting in higher plant nutrient uptake resulting in improved plant growth attributes at lower doses. In addition, integrated biochar with mineral fertilizers improves soil organic carbon at the harvest of paddy by 44–54% than sole mineral fertilizer compared to a meager increase (10–15%) in compost. This study suggests a novel alternative (as legume biochar fertilizer) to compost that can have policy implications for developing a carbon-negative fertilization technique in paddy farming.

Objective The key objective of this paper is to present the methodology of the Upstream Inspection, Maintenance and Assurance Guideline (U-IMAGe) and its implementation across a fleet of ageing assets. The U-IMAGe has been developed within PETRONAS’, Upstream Operational Excellence (OE), Center of Excellence (CoE). The U-IMAGe provides a flexible, efficient, cost effective new way of inspecting and maintaining current assets and equipment, without compromising the inherent safety and health of the asset. The U-IMAGe is applicable to Upstream assets, facilities and equipment including disciplines such as wells, pipelines, structural (offshore, fixed and floating and onshore), electrical, instrumentation, telecommunications, process, storage tanks, mechanical static, rotating equipment, subsea, single point moorings and piping systems.

Exploring the natural genetic variability and its exploitation for improved Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) in sorghum is one of the primary goals in the modern crop improvement programs. The integrated strategies include high-throughput phenotyping, next generation sequencing (NGS)-based genotyping technologies, and a priori selected candidate gene studies that help understand the detailed physiological and molecular mechanisms underpinning this complex trait. A set of sixty diverse sorghum genotypes was evaluated for different vegetative, reproductive, and yield traits related to NUE in the field (under three N regimes) for two seasons. Significant variations for different yield and related traits under 0 and 50% N confirmed the availability of native genetic variability in sorghum under low N regimes. Sorghum genotypes with distinct genetic background had interestingly similar NUE associated traits. The Genotyping-By-Sequencing based SNPs (>89 K) were used to study the population structure, and phylogenetic groupings identified three distinct groups. The information of grain N and stalk N content of the individuals covered on the phylogenetic groups indicated randomness in the distribution for adaptation under variable N regimes. This study identified promising sorghum genotypes with consistent performance under varying environments, with buffer capacity for yield under low N conditions. We also report better performing genotypes for varied production use—grain, stover, and dual-purpose sorghum having differential adaptation response to NUE traits. Expression profiling of NUE associated genes in shoot and root tissues of contrasting lines (PVK801 and HDW703) grown in varying N conditions revealed interesting outcomes. Root tissues of contrasting lines exhibited differential expression profiles for transporter genes [ammonium transporter (SbAMT), nitrate transporters (SbNRT)]; primary assimilatory (glutamine synthetase (SbGS), glutamate synthase (SbGOGAT[NADH], SbGOGAT[Fd]), assimilatory genes [nitrite reductase (SbNiR[NADH]3)]; and amino acid biosynthesis associated gene [glutamate dehydrogenase (SbGDH)]. Identification and expression profiling of contrasting sorghum genotypes in varying N dosages will provide new information to understand the response of NUE genes toward adaptation to the differential N regimes in sorghum. High NUE genotypes identified from this study could be potential candidates for in-depth molecular analysis and contribute toward the development of N efficient sorghum cultivars.

Legumes occupy a very important place in food systems for being the main source of protein for very large vegetarian population globally as such and an important component of sustainable agriculture because of their unique ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen biologically. However, productivity and production in legumes is quite low to commensurate with the current and future demands. Countries like India with a large population had to import 5–six million tons of legumes annually to meet local demand till recently. Low genetic potential of existing varieties with farmers and poor management practices result in low productivity of legumes. New science developments like development of hybrid technology in pigeon pea, marker-assisted breeding, as well as gene editing/splicing and genetic transformations have opened up new vistas for developing high-yielding and stress-tolerant legume cultivars. Most tropical soils where most legumes are grown are degraded, and widespread deficiencies of secondary and micronutrients are observed in Asia and Africa. In order to harness the best available potential of legumes to produce protein-rich food as well as build soil health, integrated system approach needs to be adopted and followed. Soil health mapping across various agro-ecologies and addressing the issues of seed supply systems along with efficient knowledge delivery systems are a must. Good results by adopting integrated system approach in India showed that farmers enhanced the productivity of legumes by 20–50% in crops like pigeon pea, chickpea, soybean, green gram, groundnut, and black gram. One rupee spent on soil test-based fertility management in integrated approach brought returns of Rs 3 to Rs 15. Replacement of existing pigeon pea and chickpea varieties used by farmers with high-yielding improved cultivars showed increased productivity by 30% to 120%. Mission projects like Bhoochetana covering 4.75 million ha in Karnataka and also in Andhra Pradesh have demonstrated the need for development research to overcome the death valley of impacts and ensure sustainable productivity by overcoming compartmental approach. A new paradigm in agricultural development research is needed to benefit the farmers through science-based interventions.

Kothapally watershed is a typical representative of rain-fed (800 mm rainfall) semi-arid tropics (SAT) with varying soil depth in the watershed and widespread soil degradation as the major challenge coupled with low crop yields and family incomes. Before the onset of initiative during 1999, soil health mapping and baseline surveys showed varying soil depth in fields at different topo-sequence, macro-/micronutrient deficiencies along with low soil carbon (C) levels and heavy soil loss through erosion that compromised with crop production in the watershed. Inappropriate fertilizer management decisions leading to negative budget for primary nutrients in major crops/cropping systems highlighted suboptimal fertilizer use. Unawareness about micro-/secondary nutrient deficiencies like sulphur (S), boron (B) and zinc (Zn) and lack of addition of such fertilizers contributed to low crop yields and declining fertilizer and water use efficiency. Farmers participatory trials highlighted yield loss of 13–39% in crops like sorghum and maize in the absence of deficient micro-/secondary nutrient fertilizers. Recycling of on-farm wastes through vermicomposting and biomass generation using N-rich Gliricidia on farm boundaries were promoted for fertilizer savings and crop yield benefit alongside soil carbon building for developing resilience. The impact of integrated soil health management practices cumulatively observed over 13 years was demonstrated during 2012 soil health mapping that showed improved mean level of soil organic C; available nutrients, viz. phosphorus (P), B, Zn and S; and significantly reduced number of fields with low nutrient/C levels. Along with yield advantage, soil loss was significantly reduced from 3.48 t ha−1 in untreated area to 1.62 t ha−1 in treated watershed area.

Despite the fact that women are the world’s principal food producers and providers, they have long been deprived of their due share and identity. Kothapally is one of the initial watershed projects that demonstrated on ground that a holistic development model not only conserves natural resources for sustainable productivity and income improvement but also harnesses the synergies to tailor the benefits in mainstreaming women farmers. This has showcased the model to focus on selective activities that directly benefit women. Some important activities that increase incomes of women revolve around interventions like milk production, kitchen gardens, composting, value addition, non-farm livelihoods through capacity building, collectivization and market linkages.

The present study on potassium levels, sources and time of application on nutrient uptake and nutrient use efficiency of onion var. ArkaKalyan was carried out at the College of Horticulture, Bagalkot, Karnataka during Kharif season of 2015 and 2016. The uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and zinc recorded significantly in 200 per cent RDK (203.62, 47.33, 236.36 kg ha-1 and 347.19 g ha-1 , respectively) over 100 per cent RDK. Among the potassium sources, SOP recorded higher nitrogen and phosphorus, potassium and zinc uptake (171.02 and 40.29, 197.73 kg ha-1 and 264.02 g ha-1 respectively) over MOP. The higher nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and zinc uptake was recorded significantly in application of 50 per cent potassium at transplanting and 50 per cent at 30 DAT (168.52, 39.74, 195.69 kg ha-1 and 289.76 g ha-1 ) over 100 per cent potassium at transplanting (157.90, 37.03, 187.23 kg ha-1 and 277.73 g ha-1 ). Significantly higher nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiency was recorded in 200 per cent RDK (162.90 and 63.10%, respectively) over 100 per cent RDK. The higher potassium use efficiency on the contrary was recorded in 100 per cent RDK (121.18%) over 125, 150, 175 and 200 per cent RDK. Among the potassium sources, SOP recorded higher nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium use efficiency of onion plant (136.82, 53.72 and 107.89%, respectively) over MOP. The higher nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium use efficiency was recorded significantly in application of 50 per cent potassium at transplanting and 50 per cent at 30 DAT (134.82, 52.99 and 106.68%) over 100 per cent potassium at transplanting (126.31, 49.37 and 102.0%).

The present investigation on “Effect of potassium levels, sources and time of application on storage life of onion var. ArkaKalyan” was carried out at the College of Horticulture, Bagalkot, Karnataka during Kharif season crop of 2015 and 2016.The physiological loss in weight and rotting and sprouting of onion bulbs was minimum in 200 per cent RDK (19.25 and 13.91%, respectively) and maximum was recorded in 100 per cent RDK (23.40 and 18.13%, respectively). The marketable bulbs of onion was recorded highest in 200 per cent RDK (77.51%) and lowest marketable bulbs was recorded in 100 per cent RDK (71.96%) followed by 175 per cent RDK. The physiological loss in weight and rotting and sprouting of onion bulbs was minimum in potassium sources as SOP (21.12 and 15.09%) over MOP (22.60 and 16.50 per cent respectively). The marketable bulbs of onion was highest in potassium sources as SOP (76.01%, respectively) over MOP (74.43%). The increased marketable bulb yield and reduced the physiological loss in weight and rotting and sprouting onion bulb with the application 50 per cent potassium at transplanting and 50 per cent K at 30 DAT over 100 per cent potassium at transplanting.

Purpose A study was conducted to characterize the ‘Madhyam culture’ (Excel Crop Care Limited.), an aerobic-composting microbial consortium culture, and understand composting dynamics, product quality and use in crop production vis-à-vis vermi-composting (using earthworms). Methods 16S rDNA analysis was used to characterize aerobic-composting culture. Aerobic-composting and vermi-composting technologies were evaluated to decompose sorghum straw and dung biomass (80:20 ratio; primed with 0.5% urea and 4% rock phosphate) to study days to maturity and composting dynamics in terms of changes in temperature and microbial population. Compost quality was tested for macro-, micro-nutrients and C:N ratio, and evaluated for food production in on-farm trials. Results 16S rDNA analysis screened sixteen bacterial isolates—eight related to genus Bacillus, three to each Halobacillus and Staphylococcus, one to each Microbacterium and Streptomyces. The population of bacteria was 4.5 cfu ml−1 at 10−7 dilution. Aerobic- and vermi-composts matured in around 50 and 60 days, respectively. Aerobic-composting throughout recorded relatively higher bacterial population, and higher temperatures during the initial phase. Aerobic-compost tested for high nutrient (1.55% N, 0.93% P, 1.00% K) content and stable C:N ratio (10.3) compared to vermi-compost (1.11% N, 0.43% P, 0.96% K and C:N ratio of 11.7). Field evaluation of both composts showed yield benefit and saving of chemical fertilizers up to 25%. Conclusions Aerobic-composting (using microbial consortium culture), like vermi-composting, proved to be an effective technology with advantage of no requirement to maintain ambient living conditions in lean periods as is required for earthworms in vermi-composting, but needs more energy/labor for biomass turnings.

A study at selected action sites in semi-arid region of Andhra Pradesh, India, showed widespread land degradation due to low levels of soil organic carbon (78% of fields) and deficiencies of available nutrients like phosphorus (34%), sulfur (93%), calcium (33%), zinc (84%), boron (73%), and copper (33%). Soil test-based addition of deficient micro- and macronutrients increased food grain production by 30–40% and straw (which is used as fodder) production by 10–30%. Micro-watershed scale low-cost cement-lined farm-ponds at smallholder farm level proved a scalable technology for drought-proofing of crops resulting into additional crop yield by more than 30% during 2015. Augmentation of water sources also facilitated farmers’ to successfully diversify the production system. Shared machinery resources improved the operational and economic efficiency of farm sowing operations through higher crop yields by around 10%. We conclude that a mix of low-cost critical interventions if out-scaled in a large number of dryland small holdings through policy support may not only improve productivity and livelihoods, but also enhance their abilities to effectively cope with the climatic aberrations.

In Indian semi-arid tropics (SAT) in general and central part i.e. Madhya Pradesh state specifically; there are large yield gaps in most of the rainfed crops between current farmers’ yields and achievable ones. Soil fertility related degradation due to deficiencies of secondary and micronutrients mainly sulphur, boron and zinc in addition to macronutrients is mainly responsible for poor crop productivity, and along with poor hydraulic properties of Vertisols is responsible for about 2 million ha rainy season fallows. Soil health assessment of 11 districts in Madhya Pradesh, India has revealed that in most of the districts only few fields with adequate levels of sulphur, boron, zinc and phosphorus indicating their widespread low levels. Potassium was in general adequate. Farmers’ current blanket fertilization practices focused at macronutrients viz. nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium only, thus does not meet the variable soil fertility needs. Through participatory action research on soil test based fertilizer application, farmers realized benefits in crop productivity to the tune of 5 to 45% in the season of application and additional yield by 5 to 27% due to residual effects of S, B and Zn in succeeding three seasons. An economic assessment showed the balanced nutrition a profitable option in the 1st season itself. In current rainy fallow regions, the landform management as broadbed and furrow or conservation furrow along with balanced nutrition has shown that fallow lands in black soil regions in Madhya Pradesh can be successfully cultivated to grow soybean crop. In succeeding post-rainy season, the rainy season cultivated plots also yielded more as compared to adjoining plots having one crop only in post-rainy season. This study thus found that soil test based fertilization and landform management are the twin technologies for sustainable crop intensification in black soils of Central Indian region.

Jatropha curcas referred as a ‘wonder plant’ with low water requirement, which can be cultivated on wastelands in dry tropical conditions to provide oil seeds for biodiesel without competing for prime cropland. However, results from experiments and case studies in semi-arid tropical locations in India indicated that evapotranspiration (ET) demand for Jatropha ranges between 750 and 1000 mm under optimal conditions. Jatropha extracted water from soil layer 150 cm below with transpiration requirements of 600–800 mm with increasing age. The yield potential of current genotypes is low (2–3 ton/ha) for realizing the potential of Jatropha cultivation on wastelands subject to limited availability of nutrients and water. Jatropha curcas is drought tolerant, but contrary to belief, it is not a crop that requires less water: in fact, it requires 750–1000 mm water to achieve economic production. However, Jatropha curcas demonstrated good potential for enhancing green water use efficiency without adversely affecting the blue water component, and for promoting crop management options facilitating carbon sequestration and nutrient recycling when grown on degraded lands. Improved cultivars of Jatropha curcas with synchronized flowering to enable mechanical harvesting, along with improved land and water management, are needed for harnessing the potential of Jatropha as a commercially viable biofuel crop.

Maintaining proper soil health is one essential element of sustainable agriculture and safeguarding ecosystem services. Beyond rendering provisioning services like food, fiber and fuel supply, soils play a critical role in services like climate regulation, water quality and supply regulation through soil functions of regulation of greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions, filtration/buffering of substances in water, water infiltration and water flow in soil, etc. (FAO and ITPS 2015). Supporting cultural services and soil functions like nutrient cycling, soil formation, medium for seed/root growth and natural and cultural landscape diversity also depends on the state of soil health...

Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], the fifth most important cereal crop in the world after wheat, rice, maize, and barley, is a multipurpose crop widely grown for food, feed, fodder, forage, and fuel, vital to the food security of many of the world’s poorest people living in fragile agroecological zones. Globally, sorghum is grown on ~42 million hectares area in ~100 countries of Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. Sorghum grain is used mostly as food (~55%), in the form of flat breads and porridges in Asia and Africa, and as feed (~33%) in the Americas. Stover of sorghum is an increasingly important source of dry season fodder for livestock, especially in South Asia. In India, area under sorghum cultivation has been drastically come down to less than one third in the last six decades but with a limited reduction in total production suggesting the high-yield potential of this crop. Sorghum productivity is far lower compared to its genetic potential owing to a limited exploitation of genetic and genomic resources developed in the recent past. Sorghum production is challenged by various abiotic and biotic stresses leading to a significant reduction in yield. Advances in modern genetics and genomics resources and tools could potentially help to further strengthen sorghum production by accelerating the rate of genetic gains and expediting the breeding cycle to develop cultivars with enhanced yield stability under stress. This chapter reviews the advances made in generating the genetic and genomics resources in sorghum and their interventions in improving the yield stability under abiotic and biotic stresses to improve the productivity of this climate-smart cereal.

Aims: As climate change related rainfall and temperature variability is being increasingly experienced in the SAT regions, we assessed climate change mitigation and adaptation potential of Conservation Agriculture (CA) by studying effects of minimum tillage (MT) and residue management practices on rain water use efficiency (RWUE), soil moisture, runoff, energy use and carbon dioxide emission in two maize-legume cropping systems. Study Design: The experiment was laid out in split-split plot design with four replications. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) farm, Patancheru, Telangana, India during 2010-11 and 2011-12. Methodology: RWUE was calculated as maize equivalent yield divided by rainfall received during the crop season. Integrated digital runoff and soil loss monitoring unit (IDRSMU) was used to measure runoff. Soil moisture content was measured using the gravimetric method (0-30 cm depth) and neutron probe (60-90 cm depth). The soil organic carbon was analyzed following the Walkley-Black method [1]. The diesel consumption in MT and conventional tillage (CT) was estimated following Downs and Hansen (http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs) and emission of CO2 was estimated according to EPA, 2009 [2]. Results: Tillage and residue management practices did not show significant effect on RWUE except; CT having significantly higher RWUE over MT during 2011-12. Effect of cropping systems on RWUE was significant but variable during the two years of study. MT-RT (minimum tillage- residue retained) reduced total seasonal runoff by 28.62% and 80.22% compared to CT-RR (conventional tillage- residue removed) in 2010-11 and 2011-12, respectively. Similarly, MT-RT reduced rainwater loss and peak rate of runoff compared to CT-RR in both the years of study. During 2010, MT-RT had higher total soil moisture (v/v) in the 0-90 cm soil depth in sole as well as intercropped maize compared to CT-RR, however, during 2011 MT-RT had higher total soil moisture in sole maize only. As compared to CT, even though, MT improved SOC in 0-15 cm depth but lowered slightly in 15-30 cm depth. RT (residue retained) improved SOC in 0-15 and 15-30 cm depths compared to residue removal (RR). MT-RT had higher or equal SOC in 0-15 and 15-30 cm soil depths compared to CT-RR in both the maize-legume cropping systems. MT saved energy corresponding to 41.49 l of diesel per hectare annually compared to CT. Similarly, MT emitted 110.79 kg less CO2 annually on per hectare basis compared to CT due to reduced diesel use. Conclusion: CA, when adopted by following good agricultural practices and refined to suit the local conditions, could emerge as sustainable production system for climate change mitigation and adaptation of dryland cropping systems in semi-arid tropics of southern India.

Sustainable intensification and improvement in farm-based livelihoods particularly in dryland tropics are the biggest challenges of the century. Widespread soil degradation, growing water scarcity, and looming threat of climate change further compound the problem of achieving food and nutritional security along with improved livelihoods. Large yield gaps in drylands provide a huge opportunity to increase the food production for future food security and mainstreaming of drylands. Soil management for correcting micro and secondary nutrient deficiencies has shown to increase crop productivity by 20–66% in Karnataka, India. During 2009–2013 in this state, more than 5 million farmers benefitted and net economic benefits through increased production were estimated to the tune of US$353 million (Rs. 1963 crores). Balanced nutrition led to increased nitrogen uptake efficiency, utilization efficiency, and use efficiency for grain yield and harvest index. Best practices like soil test-based fertilization including micronutrients and improved cultivars also contribute to increasing rainwater use efficiency in crops by channelizing unproductive evaporation loss into productive transpiration. In current rainy fallow regions, the landform management like broadbed and furrow along with balanced nutrition has shown that fallow lands in black soil regions in Madhya Pradesh can be successfully cultivated to grow soybean crop. Similarly soil fertility management along with other best practices provides opportunities for intensification through cultivating 11.4 million ha rice fallow in India by growing of early maturing chickpea. Thus, efficient rainy and post-rice fallow management is a way forward to enhance land use efficiency for higher productivity and incomes. Along with productivity and economic benefits, improved soil-nutrient-crop-water management is found to contribute to organic C building, enhancing microbial activity and resilience building of production systems. Efficient soil management thus serves as a foundation to enhance livelihoods through resource-efficient production and providing opportunities for scaling up.

In the semi-arid tropics (SAT), there exists large yield gaps (two- to four-fold) between current farmers’ yields and achievable yields. Apart from water shortages, soil degradation is responsible for the existing gaps and inefficient utilization of whatever scarce water resource is available. On-farm soil fertility testing across different states in Indian SAT during 2001–2012 showed widespread new deficiencies of sulfur (46–96 percent), boron (56–100 percent), and zinc (18–85 percent) in addition to already known phosphorus (21–74 percent) and nitrogen (11–76 percent, derived from soil carbon). Based on these results, a new fertilizer management strategy was designed to meet varying soil fertility needs at the level of a cluster of villages by applying a full nutrient dose if >50 percent fields were deficient and a half dose in the case of fields

Existing large crop yield gaps between farmers’ fields in rainfed areas and the achievable yields are abridged through integrated watershed management during 2002-2007, while improving farmers’ livelihoods also. In addition to water shortages, emerging widespread deficiencies of multiple micro- and secondary nutrients such as sulphur (S), boron (B) and zinc (Zn) along with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are holding back the productivity potential through inefficient utilization of limited available water. Soil test-based balanced nutrient application of deficient SBZn plus NP in fields in watersheds recorded 70 to 119% (2100 kg ha −1 in maize, 660 kg ha −1 in groundnut, 640 kg ha −1 in mungbean and 1070 kg ha −1 in sorghum) improvement in crop productivity along with additional returns varying from Rs 16,050/- to Rs 28,160/- ha −1 over the farmers’ practice (only NP). Landform management to alleviate waterlogging proved effective intervention to manage high clay Vertisols for higher soybean and groundnut productivity by 13 to 27% (340 to 350 kg ha −1 in soybean and 160 to 250 kg ha −1 in groundnut) over the farmers’ practice. However, the integrated approach of balanced nutrition and landform management plus improved cultivar was the best option in increasing sunflower productivity by 182% (1600 kg ha −1 in sunflower) over farmers’ management (control). Adoption of these soil-water-crop interventions in target watersheds abridged yield gaps by 12 to 96% in groundnut (160 to 1280 kg ha −1 ), 29 to 100% (240 to 1130 kg ha −1 ) in pigeonpea and 0 to 100% (0 to 1175 kg ha −1 ) in chickpea. The impact of watershed interventions was seen in farm-based activities like improved milk production and incomes. The watershed programs alleviated migration in the catchments by improving the five capitals viz. human, financial, social, physical and natural.

Multiplication and division are the two elementary operations essential for the core computing process or for the arithmetic operation. These two operations are also the most critical functions carried out by the processors, as the multiplication requires more number of steps for the computation, limiting the overall performance of the system, and the division has the highest latency among all arithmetic operations. Thus, high performance multiplication and division algorithms/ architectures, if available, will considerably improve the speeds of processing system. Consequently, the need for faster processing of arithmetic operations, is continuously driving major improvements in processor technologies, as well as the search for new arithmetic algorithms. In the present paper alternate design for single and double precision multiplier processor is presented.

Soil health assessment of farmers’ fields in watershed villages in Medak district, Andhra Pradesh, India showed widespread deficiencies of sulfur (S), boron (B), and zinc (Zn) in addition to organic carbon and phosphorus (P). Participatory on-farm trials on soil test-based application of deficient Zn, B, and S along with nitrogen (N) and P during 2009 to 2012 significantly increased crop yields over farmers’ practice (FP)—by 31% to 45% in chickpea, 15% to 16% in cotton, 12% to 15% in paddy, and 8% to 9% in sugarcane. Total soluble sugars in sugarcane under balanced nutrition (BN) increased by 13%. Residual benefits of S, B, and Zn were observed in succeeding chilly crop (12% higher yield). Benefit to cost (B:C) ratios of BN ranged between 2.8 to 8.5 in chickpea, 2.6 to 4.4 in cotton, 2.3 to 2.9 in paddy, and 7.1 to 11.4 in sugarcane, indicating economic feasibility for scaling-up.

Long term effects of lantana (Lantana camera L.) residue and fertilizer application were studied on nitrogen (N) fractions in a Typic Hapludalf under rice-wheat cropping at Palampur, India (32°6’N, 76°3’E). After 12 crop cycles, lantana and fertilizer application showed an additive effect on the buildup of different N fractions. Hydrolyzable-N constituted 86% of total organic-N and 84% of total-N. All fractions of N except unidentified-N, non-hydrolyzable-N, and total-N were strongly interdependent and had a positive influence on grain yield and N uptake in rice and wheat crops. Serine+threonine-N was the most important fraction contributing towards grain yield and N uptake in rice and wheat. Fertilizers at 66% of recommendation plus lantana at 10 t ha−1 maintained higher available-N than that under 100% fertilizers alone; the N content was same as 12 years before. Inclusion of lantana indicated net saving of 33% fertilizers plus higher yields and sustained soil health.

In view of widespread deficiencies, a long-term experiment was started at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Patancheru, India in 2007 to identify economically efficient application strategy (full or 50% dose every or every second year) of sulphur (S) (30 kg ha−1), boron (B) (0.5 kg ha−1) and zinc (Zn) (10 kg ha−1). During the fourth year in 2010, balanced fertilization through adding S, B and Zn increased maize grain yield by 13–52% and soybean yield by 16–28% compared to nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilization alone. Balanced nutrition increased N and P uptake, utilization and use efficiency for grain yield and harvest index indicating improved grain nutritional quality. The N, P plus 50% of S, B and Zn application every year recorded highest crop yields and N and P efficiencies indices and increased rainwater use efficiency with a benefit:cost ratio of 11.9 for maize and 4.14 for soybean. This study showed the importance of a deficient secondary nutrient S and m...