Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) in a Sustainable Rice-Wheat Cropping System - Hardcover

Mahajan, Anil; Gupta, R. D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 140209874X ISBN 13: 9781402098741

Publisher: Springer, 2009

Synopsis

Agriculture is the main occupation in India and about 75% of its population depends directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihood. It is the dominant sector that contributes 18% of the gross domestic product. Thus, agriculture is the foundation of the Indian economy. The maximum share of Indian exports is also from the agriculture sector. As the population of the country is increasing trem- dously, approximately at the rate of 19 million every year over the existing popu- tion of more than 1 billion (approximately 1. 18 billion), the food grain production must necessarily be increased. This can be done by increasing crop production to match the population growth rate of 2. 2% per annum, which is expected to stabilize at 1. 53 billion around 2050. There is no doubt that the Green Revolution in India during the late 1960s brought self-sufficiency in food grain production, mainly through the increase in rice and wheat crop yields – the two main crops of the country which play an important role from food security point of view. However, the excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides, and the neglect of organic manures for these crops, has resulted in the deterioration of physical, chemical and biological health of the ri- and wheat-growing soils. Owing to the deterioration of the health of these soils, the productivity of the rice–wheat cropping system has now either got reduced or in some places has become constant for the last decade.

About this title

From the Back Cover

India’s rice and wheat crops are in crisis – a dangerous situation for a nation where 75 per cent of the population depends on agriculture for a living. Today’s falling or static yields in these two key crops have been the result of the intensification of agriculture from the 1960s on. That so-called ‘Green Revolution’, which depended heavily on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, saw crop production keep pace with population growth until the end of the last millennium. Today, however, the sector is suffering from depleted soils and reduced ground water levels. Past excesses have even left the current generation of farmers with health hazards.
The authors of this volume, experts in agriculture and agronomy in the subcontinent, say a new approach is needed. India’s population will rise from today’s 1.18 billion people to as many as 1.5 billion by 2020, with 25 per cent more mouths to feed. Not only that, but agriculture’s pre-eminent place in the country’s economy, where it is 18 per cent of total GDP and the biggest single export sector, make any problem in the industry one of national importance.
Other nations in Asia, including Pakistan, Nepal, China and Bangladesh, have already recognized the problem of static yields and have developed the concept of the ‘Integrated Nutrient Management’ (INM) system. Its aim is to make agricultural cropping sustainable by maintaining or enhancing the soil quality while leaving room for increases in yields, and it advocates the balanced use of both organic and inorganic methodologies.
Mahajan and Gupta, both highly experienced experts in the science of agriculture, and in Gupta’s case a leading environmentalist, examine in detail India’s cropping crisis as well as the possible remedies. They conclude that the INM System is an essential component of any solution. The book also delineates potential sources of organic plant nutrients and bio-fertilizers in India, and analyzes the rice-wheat cropping system and the role INM could play in sustaining crop productivity. The authors also provide insight into the balanced use of plant nutrients in increasing rice and wheat productivity and about the effective use of fertilizers and water management practices for rice and wheat crops. Constraints in the adoption of INM system and future research strategies are the other crucial topics which are covered in this comprehensive text.

About this edition

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 140209874X
• ISBN 13: 9781402098741
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 300