Crop production in Pakistan and low nitrogen use efficiencies

A - Papers appearing in refereed journals

Shahzad, A. N., Qureshi, M. K., Wakeel, A. and Misselbrook, T. H. 2019. Crop production in Pakistan and low nitrogen use efficiencies. Nature Sustainability. 2, pp. 1106-1114. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0429-5

AuthorsShahzad, A. N., Qureshi, M. K., Wakeel, A. and Misselbrook, T. H.
Abstract

Overuse of nitrogen (N) fertilizer, a crucial productivity factor in world cropping systems, is detrimental to the sustainability of crop production from an economic and environmental perspective. Mean yield, N fertilizer use, partial factor productivity (PFP) of N, N use efficiency (NUE) and N surplus in wheat, cotton and rice production in Pakistan, which account for 75% of total national fertilizer N use, were compared with those for the top producer countries for 2014. Pakistan was among the top four in terms of N use but had low mean yields, with the lowest PFP and NUE and highest N surplus. During 1961–2014 in Pakistan,
N fertilizer use and N surplus grew at a much faster pace than mean yields; however, PFP and NUE continued to decline to much lower levels. The great potential for Pakistan to increase NUE lies in agronomic practices other than increasing N fertilization, such as balanced crop nutrition, irrigation management, inclusion of legumes in crop rotations, precision in-season N management and the use of enhanced efficiency fertilizers, as is the case for many other parts of the world.

Year of Publication2019
JournalNature Sustainability
Journal citation2, pp. 1106-1114
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0429-5
Open accessPublished as non-open access
FunderBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Funder project or codeBBS/E/C/000I0120
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online25 Nov 2019
Publication process dates
Accepted10 Oct 2019
PublisherSpringer Nature
ISSN2398-9629

Permalink - https://repository.rothamsted.ac.uk/item/970v9/crop-production-in-pakistan-and-low-nitrogen-use-efficiencies

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