Nutrient Supplying Potential of Crop Residues in Indian Agriculture

The Indian agriculture sector has seen tremendous changes over the period. The country's food grain production has increased from just 50 million tons (mt) in the 1950s to 308 mt at present, around a sixfold rise. All of this could become possible due to the introduction of green revolution technologies in the 1970s and onwards, such as the introduction of high-yielding varieties, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, selective herbicides, and improvement of irrigation facilities with improved agronomic management. According to an estimate, chemical fertilizers alone account for 50% of growth in the country's foodgrain production. In the early 1950s, total fertilizer consumption in India was just 0.069 mt, which has increased to 2.25 mt in 1970-71 and 32.5 mt at present. This about 14.4 times rise in fertilizer consumption since the 1970s level to the present highlights the role of fertilizers and nutrient management in Indian agriculture. However, a continuous increase in fertilizer consumption over the year has invited many secondary agricultural problems, such as multi-nutrient deficiency, increased cost of production, and declining factor productivity of fertilizers. Imbalance and overuse use of fertilizers, along with increased cropping intensity and reduced recycling of residues are some of the reasons for such problems. Increased agricultural production also generates a large volume of surplus residue, which often creates problems for farmers. It is well-understood facts from various research studies that crop residues are the hidden treasurer of all the essential nutrients and organic carbon. This chapter highlights the potential of crop residue in nutrient recycling in India and the availability of surplus crop residue.