With a view to generating scientific evidence for developing and promoting sustainable nutrient-management practices for farmers, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) on Wednesday analysed the observations made from the PME (Permanent Manurial Experiment) field established in 1909, and LTFE (Long-Time Experiment Field) experimental plot developed during 1972 on the premises.
The experimental fields have been providing insights into long-term impacts of nutrient-management practices on crop productivity, soil fertility, carbon sequestration, soil biological properties and soil quality.
Describing PME as one of the world’s longest-running continuous field experiments, S. Karthikeyan, Director, Directorate of Natural Resource Management, TNAU, said the experiments carried out by the Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, provide a unique long-term research platform for assessing the effects of nutrient-management practices on crop productivity, soil fertility, soil organic carbon dynamics, microbial properties and overall soil quality under continuous cropping.
R.K. Kaleeswari, Professor and Head, Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, and the faculty team explained the importance of balanced fertilization and highlighted that integrated nutrient management (INM) contributes to sustained crop productivity while maintaining favourable soil physical properties and enhancing soil organic carbon storage and overall soil quality.
Emphasising on the importance of the soil-test-based targeted-yield approach for optimising fertilizer application, they elaborated on how approach has the potential to reduce fertilizer requirements by about 40 per cent for potassium in maize and more than 40 per cent for phosphorus and potassium in sunflower, thereby helping to reduce the cost of cultivation.
Published – September 24, 2026 05:49 pm IST
