Economic Assessment of Adopting Nutrient Expert® Wheat Model Vs Conventional Wheat Fertilizer Application Management in Morang, Nepal

Abstract

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production is very sensitive towards the proper nutrient dose and its application methods. Wheat production in Nepal is declining due to inadequate fertility application and/or management program. Nutrient Expert® (NE) Model was adopted to compare with the conventional fertilizer application. Thus, the objectives of this research were to assess the adopted Nutrient Expert® Model vis-à-vis its conventional counterpart in Morang District of Nepal. The experiment was conducted from January 2015 to August 2017 in Itahara and Babiyabirta of Morang district of Eastern Nepal. The experiment comprised of two treatments and twenty replications. The results showed that there is a significant yield difference between the adopted Nutrient Expert® software doses compared to the farmers’ conventional practices. The percent increase in the grain yield among the treatments was 95.33% in Nutrient Expert® compared to the conventional system. Significantly, higher net return was recorded in treatment NE (Nepalese Rupee (NRs.) 47,968) than the farmers’ fields practice (NRs 10,784). Field experiment validation confirmed that the Nutrient Expert® Wheat model could be used as a practical tool for the decision support system to make a more authentic fertilizer recommendation.