Site-Specific Nutrient Management Improves Productivity and Profitability of a Maize–Mustard Cropping System under Semi-Arid Conditions of Bundelkhand Region

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the kharif 2022 and rabi 2022–2023 seasons at the Research Farm of Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India, to evaluate the effects of different nutrient-management strategies on crop productivity, system productivity, production efficiency, land-use efficiency, and economics of a maize (Zea mays L.)–mustard (Brassica juncea L.) cropping system under semi-arid conditions. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with seven nutrient-management treatments comprising 100% of the recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF), organic farming, natural farming, integrated nutrient management (INM), site-specific nutrient management (SSNM), farmers’ practice, and 75% RDF integrated with green manuring, with three replications. Site-specific nutrient management (SSNM), comprising 100% of the recommended nutrients supplemented with Zn @ 5 kg ha⁻¹, B @ 1 kg ha⁻¹, S @ 60 kg ha⁻¹, and Fe @ 1 kg ha⁻¹, recorded the highest growth and yield attributes in both crops. In maize, SSNM produced the maximum plant height (205.46 cm), grain yield (4660 kg ha⁻¹), straw yield (9735 kg ha⁻¹), and biological yield (14396 kg ha⁻¹). Similarly, in mustard, it recorded the highest plant height (248.77 cm), siliquae plant⁻¹ (353.33), seed yield (2026 kg ha⁻¹), stover yield (4968 kg ha⁻¹), and biological yield (6994 kg ha⁻¹). The same treatment also resulted in the highest mustard equivalent yield (3702 kg ha⁻¹), production efficiency (14.76 kg ha⁻¹ day⁻¹), and land-use efficiency (68.68%). Economic analysis revealed that SSNM generated the maximum gross and net returns from both maize (₹128,441 and ₹77,051 ha⁻¹, respectively) and mustard (₹127,829 and ₹83,417 ha⁻¹, respectively), whereas the highest benefit:cost ratio in mustard (1.96) was recorded under 75% RDF integrated with green manuring. The findings demonstrate that site-specific nutrient management integrating balanced macro- and micronutrient application substantially enhanced crop productivity, system efficiency, and profitability of the maize–mustard cropping system and can be recommended as a sustainable nutrient management strategy for the semi-arid Bundelkhand region.