Enhancing Profitability of Wheat with Eco-friendly Nitrogen Management Under Restricted Irrigation for Small-scale Farming in India

The majority of farmers (85%) in Asia operate on small plots (< 2 ha) under low-input conditions to support their livelihoods. Wheat production in India faces challenges due to water scarcity and suboptimal nitrogen (N) management practices. To address this problem, a multi-location (9) field experiment comprising of 9 treatments by including nano and prilled urea alone or in combination was conducted under restricted irrigation conditions (only two irrigations i.e., first at crown root initiation stage and 2nd at flag leaf stage) during 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 in randomised block design with three replications in three agro-climatic regions (NWPZ- North Western Plains Zone, NEPZ- North Eastern Plains Zone and CZ- Central Zone) of India. Results indicated that combining recommended nitrogen (RDN) i.e., 90 kg/ha with two sprays of 5% urea increased grain yield by 4.1% and 41.9% in NWPZ and NEPZ, respectively, over RDN alone. Two sprays of nano urea at tillering and jointing stages significantly outperformed the control (Zero N), increasing grain yield by 14.5%, 34.0%, and 19.2% in NWPZ, NEPZ, and CZ, respectively. Moreover, RDN with two sprays of nano urea increased the grain yield and agronomic efficiency by 12.1% and 12.0% in CZ and 25.2% and 24.6% in NEPZ over RDN alone, respectively. From a net benefit perspective, RDN with two sprays of 5% urea was 6.7 and 70.4% higher in NWPZ and NEPZ over RDN under restricted irrigation. In CZ, applying RDN with two sprays of nano urea provided 15.5% higher net benefit over RDN. The recommendation for wheat cultivation in small-scale farming systems in India under restricted irrigation conditions suggests adopting a nitrogen management approach combining RDN with two sprays of 5% urea in NWPZ and NEPZ or with two sprays of nano urea in NEPZ and CZ improved the productivity, profitability and agronomic efficiency.