Fertilizer use in Semi-Arid tropical India.

This monograph reports the results semi-arid tropical India. As important component of the agriculture. Most past of a project indicated on fertilizer use above, fertilizer constitutes prospective technologies for development studies on in an of SAT fertilizer use have focused on irrigated areas and crops perhaps because, traditionally, fertilizers have been used little for nonirrigated crops. very There is some evidence to show that this pattern is changing and that some fertilizers are being used (other than high-value commercial crops). for nonirrigated crops It is important to evaluate these changes to assess the technological possibilities in semi-arid agriculture. We also I need to understand what factors determine SAT farmers' decisions on fertilizer use. These issues are investigated in this report.

Attention is also focused on the use of fertilizers for high-yielding varieties of sorghum and pearl millet--the major cereals grown on drylands in SAT India. High-yielding varieties form the most important component of the strategy to improve food production in these areas. The spread of these varieties has been low and selective because of several technological and socioeconomic factors. However, these are outside the scope of this enquiry which seeks to provide information on the extent and level of fertilizer use observed on farmers' fields. This information is valuable in sorghum and pearl millet crop improvement and management research.