MAJOR ISSUES IN SOIL HEALTH MANAGEMENT

1. MAJOR ISSUES IN SOIL HEALTH MANAGEMENT Dr. Ramesh Kumar Deputy Commissioner (INM) Department of Agriculture and Cooperation Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India, New Delhi

2. INTRODUCTION • Agriculture is the mainstay of the Indian economy. • Two thirds of the Indian population depends on it. • India’s population is expected to be 1.4 billion by the year 2025. • 300 million tonnes of food grains will be required by 2025. • Current food grain production around 241.0 million tonnes • India need to raise its foodgrains targets at a rate of more than 4 million tonnes per annum. • Scope for increase in area under cultivation is negligible • Agriculture production can only be achieved through efficient use of resources and by improving soil fertility

3. Food grain production and fertiliser use in India • Food grain production level during last few years hovering around 210-240 mt • Stagnation in productivity a matter of great concern as the target of 300 mt by 2025 may not be achieved • To sustain the production system, efficient use of the resources is inevitable

4. Fertilizer Consumption (N+P+K in kg/ha) in some states Situation 1 Situation 2

5. Challenges Facing Indian Agriculture • Depleting soil organic matter • Imbalance in fertiliser use • Emerging multi-nutrient deficiencies particularly of secondary and micronutrients • Declining nutrient use efficiency • Declining crop response ratio • Negative soil nutrient balance • Stagnation / slow growth in food grain productivity

6. 1. Depleting soil organic matter

7. Periodic change in organic carbon status of soil in Haryana and Punjab Haryana Punjab • Reasons- • Residue management • Retarded rate of C oxidation & decomposition in submerged soils in paddy Source- HAU website Source- Benbi & Brar, 2008

8. Processes leading to decline in soil organic matter content • Residue removal for fodder and fuel • Burning of crop residues • Excessive grazing, and using dung for fuel • Accelerated erosion, desertification, and soil degradation Management practices for soil carbon sequestration • Green manuring • Conservation tillage • Afforestation/ agroforestry • Grazing management • Integrated nutrient management • Diverse cropping systems/Diversification About 336 million tonnes of crop residues are produced per year which can supply about 5.1 million tonnes of K in addition to organic matter.

11. 2. Imbalance in fertiliser use

12. Imbalanced fertilizer use evidenced by wider fertilizer consumption ratios Balanced fertilisation beyond NPK- - - ? ---- S, Zn, B……

13. The K balance of Punjab, Haryana and other Northern Indian states appears to be worst in the country as the K consumption is very low. • It is a matter of great concern that how long soil K reserves could sustain present level of crop productivity • ThinkBalanced fertilisation beyond NPK- - - ? • ---- • S, Zn, B……

14. 3. Emerging multi-nutrient deficiencies particularly of secondary and micronutrients

15. Emerging Multi-Nutrient Deficiencies in Soils

16. Periodic change in NPK status of Indian soils

17. Status of Micro and Secondary Nutrients Deficiencies of S, Zn and B has become critical

18. Sulphur Deficiency in Indian Soils • The deficiencies are widespread covering 40- 45% • districts and occurrence more in the southern region. • Negative balance to the tune of 1mt/annum.

19. Periodic Change in Zn Deficiency

20. Boron Deficiency

21. Micronutrient ManagementStrategies

22. Strategies • Application of 5 kg Zn/ha is sufficient on alluvial, red and laterite soils. • 10 kg Zn/ha is optimum on Vertisols. • 1-1.5 kg B/ha to alternate crops for oilseed based cropping systems. • Regular application of FYM 8-10 t/ha can control micronutrient deficiencies. • When 4-5 t/ha FYM is applied, Zn rate can be reduced by 50%.

23. Basal application of micronutrients is found • more efficient than top dressing. • Liquid fertilizers can be used for fertigation in • drip irrigation. • 2-4 sprays of 0.5% micronutrient solutions • (Zn, Fe, Mn) can effectively control deficiencies • on standing crops.

24. 4. Declining nutrient use efficiency

25. Low nutrient use efficiency • The loss of N through leaching and volatilization creates pollution and has environmental implications. • P & K fertilisers are imported. Skewed distribution of resources in world. Limitted supply. Affect/ destabilise prices in International market. Need to increase efficiency.

26. 5.Negative soil nutrient balance

27. Negative soil nutrient balance Removal Mining of nutrients from soil Addition

28. Soil nutrient balance sheet • Increased mining of soil potassium a cause of more rampant decline in rice yields compared to wheat in IGP (data from 24 research stations) • Source : Tandon (2004)

30. 6. Declining crop response ratio

31. Declining crop response to fertilisers • Reasons: • Inadequate and imbalanced fertiliser use • Increasing multi-nutrient deficiency • Lack of farmers awareness about balanced plant nutrition • Lack of varietal breakthrough • Poor crop management (Excess fertiliser dose not be the substitute of poor management)

32. Declining Fertilizer Response - Irrigated Areas

33. Projected Food Grain Production, Fertilizer Demand, likely Consumption and Gap

34. 7. Stagnation / slow growth in food grain productivity

35. Falling productivity growth rate (% per annum) of major crops in India

37. Declining Soil Health – A Cause of Concern • Managing soil health a formidable challenge to ensure productivity, profitability and national food security. • The United Nations Millennium Development Task Force on hunger made Soil Health Enhancement as one of the five recommendations for increasing agricultural productivity and fight hunger in India.

38. Nutrient Management OptionsAvailable •Integrated Nutrient Management • Balanced Fertilization through Inorganic Fertilizers Fortified and Coated Fertilisers Customised and 100% Water soluble fertilisers • Soil Test Based Fertilizer Recommendations • Improved Nutrient Management Practices

39. Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) – Panacea for soil health and productivity Integrated nutrient management (INM) aims at achieving efficient use of chemical fertilizers in conjunction with organic manures and biofertilizers and improves soil health, crop yields and profitability Need to augment supplies of organic manures, fortified, coated & customized fertilizers supplying secondary and micronutrients, biofertilizers and soil amendments to have INM on a sound footing.

40. Results of on -farm trails on balanced fertilization Source- Takkar, 1996

41. Effect of green manuring on yield of paddy and its residual effect on wheat Source- Sharma et al, 2009

42. Changes in soil organic C through integrated nutrient management for 20 years in some soils in the IGP Adapted from Nambiar (1995) and Swarup et al. (1998)

43. Effect of INM on available micronutrients (mg/kg) in soils after 25 years of continuous rice-wheat -cowpea fodder cropping Source- Ram (1998)

44. Exact Assessment of Requirement of Nutrients – STCR Approach Source- Suba Rao (2009)

45. Enhancing availability of organic manures • Recycling and composting/ vermi composting of urban, animal and agro industrial waste • About 57MT of urban solid waste generated per annum with potential to supply 8MT of good quality compost. • Present availability 383 mt against the moderate requirement of 900 mt / annum (@5 t / ha on gross cropped area of 185 mha).

46. Fertiliser Policy Measures to encourage Balanced Use of Fertilisers

47. Fertilisers policy was modified to create an environment to motivate industry towards development of new products based on soil and crop requirement. • Specialty fertilizers like fortified fertilizers with appropriate grades of secondary and micronutrients, customized fertilizers and 100% water soluble fertilizers are approved by Government and incorporated in Fertilizer Control Order (FCO), 1985.

48. Some of the initiatives taken by Govt of India To increase the use and availability of SSP (16% P2O5, 11% S) as an alternative source of P, the GOI modified its specifications Phospogypsum, a by-product of fertilizer industry containing 16% S and 21%Ca, a potential source of S and Ca has been incorporated in FCO. About 7MT of phosphogypsum generated per annum has a potential to supply 1 mt of S and 1.4 mt of Ca The neem coated urea , a slow release fertilizer was included under Schedule- I Part –A of the Fertilizer Control Order. To encourage the balanced fertilizer use, the basket of complex fertilizers is broadened and some new complex fertilisers have been incorporated in FCO

49. I. Promoting fortified and coated fertilizers • To correct the widespread deficiencies of secondary and micronutrients in Indian soils fortified and coated fertilisers with these nutrients were included in FCO • To promote these fertilizers on large scale, the manufacturers are allowed to sell all the FCO-approved fortified/coated fertilizers at a price upto 5% higher than the MRP of the subsidised fertilizer, except zincated urea and boronated SSP which has been made upto 10% above MRP. • 9 fortified fertilizers have been notified in FCO, 1985.

50. II. Promoting Customised fertilizers • The objective of the customised fertilizer is to promote site specific nutrient management so as to achieve the maximum fertilizer use efficiency/applied nutrient in a cost effective manner. • The Government of India has made special provision in the fertilizer Control Order, 1985 under clause 20 ‘B’ to notify such grades. • Thirty six customised fertilizer grades have been notified in FCO, 1985 so far.