Fertilizer recommendations based on soil tests for yield targets of mustard and rapeseed and their validations under farmers' field conditions in Punjab

Soil test crop response correlations studies conducted with mustard and rapeseed on a Typic Haplustept soil at Punjab Agricultural University farm, Ludhiana provided correlations of high predictability between grain yield and soil available nutrients and fertilizer nitrogen. Based on yield target, fertilizer adjustment equations for situation and site-specific fertilizer recommendations for mustard and rapeseed have been evolved. The reproducibility of these recommendations has been verified by undertaking follow-up trials under farmers' field conditions. The results showed that fertilizer application based on yield target gave higher yields, net benefit and B/C ratio over the farmers' practice. The target yield approach was also found superior to fertilizer doses prescribed by the soil testing laboratories.