Advances in Integrated Nutrient Management Practices for Cereal Crops: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Integrated Fertilizer Management (INM) is an agricultural practice that maximizes the use of all available fertilizer sources to maintain and improve soil fertility and crop yield. The major goal of INM is to create sustainable agricultural output through a balance of organic, inorganic, and biological nutrition sources. INM promotes soil health by recycling nutrients, using less chemical fertilizer, and combining organic manures, crop waste, biofertilizers, and mineral fertilizers. INM entails meeting crop nutrient requirements with a variety of nutrient sources, including organic manures (e.g., farmyard manure, compost), crop residues, biofertilizers (e.g., Rhizobium, Azotobacter), and chemical fertilizers. INM requires soil fertility management, crop rotation, green manuring, and balanced fertilizer application. INM focuses on increasing nutrient efficiency, maintaining soil organic matter, stimulating biological activity, and limiting environmental effect. INM helps farmers by improving soil health, increasing nutrient efficiency and crop yields, lowering environmental pollution, and maintaining economic sustainability. INM has aided many crops, including wheat, maize, barley, and rice. For wheat, INM improves grain yield, quality, and protein content. It improves maize biomass yield, nitrogen uptake, and soil fertility. It allows barley to grow quicker, produce larger grains, and withstand abiotic stress better. In rice, INM enhances tillering, grain quality, and yield. Finally, INM is a holistic method that integrates a variety of fertilizer sources to promote long-term crop production and soil health management, and it offers a feasible solution to the difficulties produced by traditional agricultural practices.