Nutrient expert (R) rice-an alternative fertilizer recommendation strategy to improve productivity, profitability and nutrient use efficiency of rice in Nepal

Nepal is a major rice producer of South Asia, feeding more than 20 million people of the country and abroad. However, productivity and profitability of rice are low in Nepal compared to other regional countries. Large yield gaps exist between attainable and farmers' yields and nutrient management is identified as one of the major reasons. Nutrient ExpertVR (NE), a decision-support tool based on site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) principles has been validated and applied in many countries of Asia and Africa as new recommendation protocol for nutrient management in selected crops, including rice. Present study used NEVR Rice as nutrient management protocol in farmers' fields across Terai and mid-hills regions of Nepal during 2014-2018. The study revealed that NE-based fertilizer recommendations resulted in increase in yield over 2.0 t.ha similar to 1 (p similar to 0.05) and double the profits compared to existing blanket fertilizer recommendation, and farmers' fertilizer practice. Due to large variations in slope, altitude, soil, and management, performance of NEVR varied across locations. Its performance was better in Terai due to flat lands and less variations in soil types, compared to sloping lands and varied soils of mid-hills. NE tool provided adequate guidance to apply the required rate of fertilizer that matched the crop requirement and soil nutrient supply of each farmer fields. The novelty of the study is introduction of a dynamic fertilizer recommendation approach that can supplement the existing static blanket recommendation system. We conclude that Nutrient ExpertVR - Rice can be considered as an effective tool for nutrient recommendation for rice in Nepal.

Automated summary

Nepal is a major rice producer in South Asia, but faces challenges in productivity and profitability due to poor nutrient management. The Nutrient ExpertVR (NE) tool has shown promising results in increasing yields and profits across farmers' fields in Nepal. The tool's performance varies across locations, being more effective in Terai region compared to mid-hills due to different soil and topographical conditions.