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The improved
management of fertilizer N, P, and K can help farmers attain higher
yields and profit. As higher yields are attained the requirement of the
crop for nutrients in addition to N, P, and K increases; and
micronutrients such as zinc might become deficient. Farmers consequently
need to know whether the soil-supplying capacity of zinc at a given
location is sufficient for high yields. The zinc addition plot technique
is a simple tool to assess whether farmers should apply zinc fertilizer
to attain high yield and profit.
The zinc addition
plot technique involves broadcasting zinc sulfate, an effective source
of plant-available zinc, to a small plot superimposed in farmers’
fields. The grain yield from the zinc plot is compared to the yield from
an adjacent plot managed similarly but without addition of zinc. Higher
yield in the zinc addition plot indicates a deficiency of zinc and
highlights the need for applying zinc fertilizer to achieve high yield. |
