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Crop production in Pakistan and low nitrogen use efficiencies

Author

Listed:
  • Ahmad Naeem Shahzad

    (Bahauddin Zakariya University)

  • Muhammad Kamran Qureshi

    (Bahauddin Zakariya University)

  • Abdul Wakeel

    (University of Agriculture)

  • Tom Misselbrook

    (Rothamsted Research, Okehampton)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Ahmad Naeem Shahzad & Muhammad Kamran Qureshi & Abdul Wakeel & Tom Misselbrook, 2019. "Crop production in Pakistan and low nitrogen use efficiencies," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 2(12), pages 1106-1114, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natsus:v:2:y:2019:i:12:d:10.1038_s41893-019-0429-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41893-019-0429-5
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    Cited by:

    1. Anik, Asif Reza & Eory, Vera & Begho, Toritseju & Rahman, Md. Mizanur, 2023. "Determinants of nitrogen use efficiency and gaseous emissions assessed from farm survey: A case of wheat in Bangladesh," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    2. Shahzadi Mahpara & Muhammad Shafqat Bashir & Rehmat Ullah & Muhammad Bilal & Salma Kausar & Muhammad Imran Latif & Muhammad Arif & Imran Akhtar & Marian Brestic & Ali Tan Kee Zuan & Ehab A A Salama & , 2022. "Field screening of diverse wheat germplasm for determining their adaptability to semi-arid climatic conditions," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(3), pages 1-13, March.

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