Integrated nutrient management for sustainable crop production and improving soil health

Abstract

Integrated nutrient management (INM) is a concept, which aims at the maintenance of soil health and plant nutrient availability in optimum amounts for sustaining soil health and crop productivity through optimization of the benefits from all possible sources of plant nutrients. INM could play an important role in increasing nutrient use efficiency (NUE), food grain production, and maintenance of soil health and increasing the farmer’s income through integrated and balanced application of fertilizers. Cropping system is one of the important ingredients of sustainable agriculture system as it provides more efficient cycling of nutrients. Therefore, balanced fertilization must be based on the concept of INM for a cropping system rather than a crop, so that crop productivity of the system as a whole is sustained. Long-term studies conducted in different agroclimatic zones have established the benefits of INM. This chapter overviews the importance of different components of INM in improving NUE, crop productivity, and soil health.