Abstract
Results of an eight-year study on long-term effect of N and P application in a pearlmillet—wheat sequence is reported. There was little or no residual effect of N on any of the crops. Pearlmillet needed 70 to 80 kg N and wheat required more than 120 kg N ha−1 every year for optimum grain yield. There was no soluble P build up in soil by continuous P application. Fertilizing wheat every year with 19 kg P and pearlmillet with 13 kg P ha−1 is considered optimum.
Continuous cropping leading to a production of 216 tonnes of biomass ha−1 in 17 crops and use of high analysis N (urea) and P (triple superphosphate) fertilizers had not impaired the K and Zn supplying capacity of these alluvial soils containing illite clay minerals. The experiment is being continued to monitor the productivity of the soil as affected by continuous cropping.
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Singh, R., De, R. Long-term effect of N and P fertilization on a pearlmillet—wheat cropping system. Fertilizer Research 3, 127–139 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01082973
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01082973