Conventional tillage practices coupled with irrational use of fertilizer in the rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS) often leads to poor productivity, low nutrient use efficiency, and cause environmental pollution. Conservation tillage with surface residue retention in combination with intelligent nutrient management might improve productivity and use efficiency of water as well as nutrients in zero-till direct-seeded rice (ZTDSR). Keeping this in mind, during the kharif season of 2018 and 2019, a trial was carried out at the ICAR-IARI in New Delhi to investigate the varying nutrient management approaches following a precise manner in DSR. The treatments consisted of soil-test-based NPK (STB-NPK) and Nutrient Expert^® (+LCC_N) based NPK (NE-NPK) applications, Fertilizer applied at the recommended dose (RDF) [120-60-40 kg/ha NPK], the state recommended NPK (110-50-40 kg/ha) and omission plot technique of NPK [i.e., STB (N₀PK, NP₀K & NPK₀); SR (N₀PK, NP₀K & NPK₀) and NE-(N₀PK, NP₀K & NPK₀)]. The results indicated that STB NPK application led to a 12% higher grain yield over RDF. However, NE-NPK resulted in a 7% and 35% increase in N (AEN) agronomic efficiency and P (AEP) over the STB-NPK application respectively. In contrast, AE_k was 24% higher in STB-NPK over NE-NPK treatment. The comparison of two years’ results that the first year performed better than the succeeding year in these respect (productivity and AE) except in the case of AE_k. The N₂O emission in NE-NPK treatment was also significantly reduced (49%) over the control (no N). STB-NPK treatment also improved profitability by 22% over RDF. Precision nutrient management (PNM) increased the crop yield, income, and use efficiency of nutrients and water and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of DSR in Southeast Asia.

A field experiment was conducted at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi on sandy loam soil dur- ing 2010 to 2012 to study the effect of tillage and crop establishment techniques, and residue management on maize ( Zea mays L.)wheat [ Triticum aestivum (L.) emend. Fiori & Paol] cropping system. Results indicated that permanent beds with residue retention (PB+R) and fresh beds with crop residue incorporation (FB+R) were found comparable with respect to yield and yield attributes both in maize and wheat. FB+R recorded 25.0 and 8.3 % higher grain yield of maize and wheat, respectively compared to conventional tillflat (CTF). Likewise, PB+R gave 25.0 and 28.6% higher grain yield of maize and wheat, respectively over CT F. Further, PB+R gave 3.5% higher system productivity compared to FB+R. PB+R gave the highest net returns of maize (39.2 103 /ha), wheat (50.5 103 /ha) and the cropping system (89.7 103 /ha) followed by FB+R and zero till flat with residue retention (ZTF+R). At upper soil surface (010 cm), lowest bulk density and soil penetration resistance was ob- served in FB+R followed by PB+R. Among all the tillage, crop establishment, and residue management tech- niques, ZTF+R gave lowest yield and yield attributes, and recorded highest bulk density in upper soil surface.

A field experiment was conducted during kharif of 2007 and 2008 at New Delhi to assess the performance of intercropped Bt cotton as influenced by P nutrition. The experiment was laid out in split plot design. Five cropping systems viz., sole cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L.); sole groundnut ( Arachis hypogaea L.); sole soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.]; cotton + groundnut; and cotton + soybean were taken in the main plots and two combination of P sources and biofertilizers viz., single superphosphate and rock phosphate + phosphate solubilising bacteria (PSB) + vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) and two P levels viz., 17.5 and 35 kg/ha including control in the sub- plots. Cotton + groundnut cropping system gave the highest cotton equivalent yield (CEY) of 2.4 t/ha, followed by cotton + soybean system (2.2 t/ha) and sole cotton (2.1 t/ha). Application of 35 kg P/ha recorded on an average 14.2 % higher CEY over 17.5 kg P/ha. Cotton + groundnut system recorded an additional mean net returns of 6,512 compared to sole cotton ( 39,382/ha). Application of 35 kg P/ha increased the mean net income to the tune of 5,604/ha over 17.5 kg P/ha with a mean B:C ratio of 1.8. Quality traits of cotton remained unaffected by cotton intercropping.

An experiment was conducted during the rainy (kharif) season of 2017 and 2018 at the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, to evaluate the effect of tillage and nutrient-management options on yield, nutrient uptake, residual soil-fertility status, and enzymatic activities in maize (Zea mays L.). The zero-tillage with crop residue at 3.5 t/ha (ZT + R) and conventional tillage with crop residue at 3.5 t/ha (CT + R) enhanced the grain yield (6.2–17.0%) of maize compared to CT without residue (4.40 t/ha). High cost of cultivation was recorded in CT + R (44.8 × 103 `/ha), while high net returns were found in ZT + R (37.6 × 103 `/ha). In ZT + R, the addition of wheat residue enhanced N, P, and K uptake in grain by 19.41, 12.81 and 13.92%, respectively over CT. Available N (182 kg/ha), available P (13.8 kg/ha), and exchangeable K (318 kg/ha) were found highest with ZT + R. Nutrient expert system (NES) enhanced the grain yield (5.30 t/ha) and net returns (43.0 × 103 `/ha) compared to no application of nutrients (control) (3.35 t/ha and 17.9 × 103 `/ha) and recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) (4.70 t/ha and 34.8 × 103 `/ha). Higher activity of dehydrogenase (DHA) (25.9 TPF μg/g/h) and microbial biomass C (130 μg/g) were found with NES. An increase of 57.96–58.4% in N uptake was found with NES over RDF (80.0 kg/ha). The nutrient expert system (NES) and 125% of RDF left higher amount of residual N, P and K in soil than the control. Overall, nutrient expert system under zero-tillage with crop residue at 3.5 t/ha can increase the productivity and profitability in maize.

A field experiment was conducted to find out the best combinations of pre- and post-emergence herbicides in maize for effective weed control and higher productivity at ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Ludhiana in 2021 and 2022. Results indicated that pre (PE)- and post-emergence (PoE) herbicide application, reduced the narrow-leaved weeds (NLW) and broad-leaved weeds (BLW) density from 62.41–91.46% and 55.53–82.11% respectively, compared to the weedy check. Among the PE, pyroxasulfone performed better than atrazine owing to selectivity towards maize with better weed control during both years. The density of Cyperus spp. was significantly reduced with halosulfuron PoE along with atrazine or pyroxasulfone PE over the years. A higher weed control efficiency (WCE) was found with pyroxasulfone followed by (fb) topramezone (90.4), while pyroxasulfone fb tembotrione (84.1) and atrazine fb topramezone (84.8) had similar WCE. Pyroxasulfone fb topramezone gave a 46.97% increase in grain yield over a weedy check. Pyroxasulfone fb topramezone and pyroxasulfone fb tembotrione resulted in higher net returns and B:C. Therefore, the application of pyroxasulfone as PE fb tembotrione as PoE or pyroxasulfone as PE fb topramezone as PoE may be recommended for better weed control and higher maize grain yield in NWPZ of India.