Summary
This two-year field trial in Bangladesh investigated integrated nutrient management combining reduced inorganic fertiliser (75% of recommended dose) with organic amendments (cow dung, poultry manure, vermicompost, household compost, or rice straw compost) on farm and char (riverine alluvial) soils. Treatment combining 75% nitrogen from inorganic fertiliser with 25% nitrogen from poultry manure consistently delivered the highest yields, nutrient uptake, and soil fertility improvements across all three crops in both locations and years, whilst also providing superior economic returns. The yield response was more pronounced on char land soils, which are typically nutrient-deficient and low in organic matter.
UK applicability
The specific findings have limited direct applicability to UK farming systems, which operate under different soil conditions, climate, and established fertility management practices. However, the integrated approach to reducing synthetic fertiliser inputs whilst maintaining productivity through organic amendment combinations may inform UK sustainable intensification strategies, particularly for margins of arable land with depleted soils.
Key measures
Yield components; nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulphur uptake; soil organic matter; cation exchange capacity; total nitrogen; available phosphorus and sulphur; exchangeable potassium; marginal benefit-cost ratio; gross return (Tk/ha)
Outcomes reported
The study measured crop yields, nutrient uptake (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur), and soil fertility properties across a wheat–mungbean–rice cropping system. Economic analysis included marginal benefit-cost ratios and gross returns for different treatment combinations.
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