Declining factor productivity and improving nutrient-use efficiency in oilseeds Hegde D.M.*, Babu S.N. Sudhakara Directorate of Oilseeds Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, 500030. *Corresponding author: (E-mail: dmhegde@rediffmail.com)
P.C. Raheja, memorial lecture delivered by senior author at National Symposium on “New Paradigms in Agronomic Research” held at Navasari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat during 19–21 November, 2008. Abstract The demand for vegetable oils is increasing at a very high rate due to the increase in population, improvement in standard of living, industrialization and new demand for bio-fuels. Oilseeds are energy-rich crops and demand higher nutrition for their optimum production. Low productivity of oilseeds is due to their predominant cultivation under rainfed conditions with inadequate and imbalanced nutrition. The total factor productivity in general for agriculture is declining. The response of oilseeds to general NPK fertilization is declining, response to secondary and micronutrients are encouraging. Nutrient-use efficiency even under best management practice is low for NPK and very low for micronutrients. The need for providing balanced fertilization for realizing optimum seed and oil yield of oilseeds is the urgent requirement. Sustainable oilseed production requires efficient use of inputs through adequate and balanced fertilization, including organic manures, secondary and micronutrients, bio-fertilizers, cropping system-based fertilization, and site-specific nutrient management to avoid wastages and harness positive interactions of nutrients and growth factors. Top Key words Balanced fertilization, Cropping systems, Site-specific nutrient management, Nutrient interactions, Rainfed conditions. Top |