Precision Nitrogen Management Studies Using Sensors and Artificial Intelligence in Maize

Abstract

Studies were conducted during 2020 (kharif and rabi) and 2021 (kharif) at newlineMARS, Dharwad, Karnataka to evaluate the precision nitrogen management practices newlineusing sensors and artificial intelligence in maize. Experiment was laid out in strip plot newlinedesign with three replications and sixteen treatment combinations consists of growing newlineconditions (rainfed and irrigated) in horizontal strips and eight precision nitrogen newlinemanagement practices [N application at sufficiency index (SI) of 86-90, 91-95 and 96- newline100 %, and response index (RI) of 1.11-1.25, 1.26-1.40 and gt1.41, RDF (100:50:25 and newline150:65:65 N:P2O5:K2O kg ha-1 for rainfed and irrigated conditions, respectively) and newlineabsolute control] in vertical strip. newlineResults revealed that growing conditions has not shown any significant newlinedifferences in NDVI and SPAD values at various growth stages except at blister, milky newlineand dough stages. Irrigated condition recorded significantly higher grain (6347 kg ha-1) newlineand straw yield (9020 kg ha-1) over rainfed condition (5262 and 7787 kg ha-1, newlinerespectively). Gross returns (1,16,683 ` ha-1), net returns (51,215 ` ha-1) and BC ratio newline(1.72) were significantly higher under irrigated condition. Application of nitrogen at SI newlineof 96 - 100 % recorded significantly higher NDVI and SPAD values than other newlinetreatments. Grain and straw yield (8292 and 10745 kg ha-1, respectively) were newlinesignificantly higher with the application of nitrogen at SI of 96 - 100 % as compared to newlinerest of the treatments except with the SI of 91 - 95 % (7858 and 10745 kg ha-1, newlinerespectively). SI of 96 - 100 and 91 - 95 % recorded 25.0 and 18.4 per cent higher yield newlineover RDF, respectively. Nitrogen use efficiency (Agronomic and recovery efficiency) newlinewere registered higher with the application of nitrogen at SI of 86 - 90 % and RI of 1.11 newline- 1.25 under rainfed and irrigated condition over recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF). newlineSignificantly higher gross returns (1,53,851 ` ha-1), net returns (82,696 ` ha-1) and BC newlineratio (2.15) were obtained with the SI of 96 - 100 % over rest of the tre