Soil fertility and on-farm crop response to NPK and Zn fertilization in rice-rice cropping sequence of Lower Brahmaputra Valley Zone of Assam

Despite being a major source of livelihood, rice cultivation in the plains of the north-east region of India is under stress due to depletion of native nutrient reserves, emergence of multi-nutrient deficiencies and consequent decline in factor productivity of applied nutrients. With the aim to enhance productivity and to develop efficient fertilizer management strategies for the region, the authors discuss the status of post harvest soil properties and on-farm crop response to plant nutrients in rice-rice sequence under the climatic situation of Lower Brahmaputra Valley Zone of Assam. Results revealed that the recommended dose of NPK fertilizers along with 5 Kg ZnSO₄ application not only increases the yield of rice-rice sequence but also enhances the post harvest fertility status of soil.