Response of Cereal Crop Production to Integrated Management of Chemical Fertilizer and Organic Manure

Abstract

Nutrient management may be achieved by the involvement of organic sources, bio fertilizers, and micro-nutrients. Studies have shown that long-term use of fertilizers reduces crop yields. This decrease is due to the acidification of the soil, the reduction of biological activity of the soil and the inappropriate physical properties of the soil. Chemical fertilizers have several negative impacts on environment and sustainable agriculture. Therefore, bio fertilizers are recommended in these conditions and growth prompting bacteria uses as a replacement of chemical fertilizers. To alleviate the problem, integrated plant nutrient management is an option as it utilizes available organic and inorganic nutrients to build ecologically sound and economically viable farming system. Many research has suggested that integrated nutrient management strategies involving chemical fertilizers and bio-fertilizers enhance the sustainability of crop production. Integrated plant nutrient management is the combined use of mineral fertilizers with organic resources such as cattle manures, crop residues, urban/rural wastes, composts, green manures and bio-fertilizers. The application of bio fertilizers has become of great necessity to get a yield of sufficient high quality and to avoid environmental pollution. Effect of nitrogen and phosphate bio-fertilizers led to increase in plant height, ear weight, and number of grains per cob, grain yield and biomass yield. Increasing yield was attributed to the plant growth promoting substances by root colonizing bacteria more than the biological nitrogen fixation, stated that yield increased due to promoting root growth which in turn enhancing nutrients and water uptake from the soil. Combined application of organic fertilizer and urea fertilizer or combination urea fertilizer and polyamines significantly increased yield, vegetative growth and chlorophyll index.