Eco-friendly nitrogen management practices for rice cultivation: A review

Author: Vinod Kumar, DK Singh, T Pandiaraj and Vimlesh Kumar

Rice (Oryza sativa L) is one of the most important stable food crops for human beings. One of the alternatives to feed the ever-increasing population is exploiting the production potential of high-yielding rice varieties through nutrient and agronomic management. A large amount of nitrogen (N) fertilizer is required for rice cultivation, but nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in rice cultivation is low (20-40%). Much of the unutilized N potentially degrades the quality of soil, water and air and disintegrates the functions of different ecosystems. It is the task to increase NUE and sustain rice production to meet the demand of the ever-increasing world population. This review attempts to find out promising N management practices that might improve NUE while reducing the trade-off between rice production and environmental pollution. The information on N management practices and associated barriers was collected and collated. More efficient N management tools are yet to be developed through research and extension. Awareness-raising campaign among the farming community is a must against their misunderstanding that higher N fertilizer provides higher yields. The conclusion might help policymakers to formulate suitable policies regarding eco-friendly N management strategies for rice cultivation and ensure better utilization of costly N fertilizer.