Fertilizer requirements for specified yield targets. II. Field verification of mathematical models for the estimation of soil and fertilizer nutrient efficiencies

Sugarcane response data from field experiments conducted between May 1979 and August 1981 on a sandy clay loam soil (Udic Haplustalf) of Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu State, India were used in the present investigation. Soil () and fertilizer () nutrient efficiencies for the amount of fertilizer required for specified cane yield targets were computed from this data by three procedures, viz., conventional deduction procedure, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Model I [TNAU Model I] and Model II [TNAU Model II].In the case of nitrogen, both TNAU Model I and TNAU Model II gave more realistic estimates of and than those determined by the conventional deduction procedure. The differences in the predicted amounts of fertilizer nitrogen required between these two models were well within the permissible limits of variation indicating that both these approaches can be followed for the amount of nitrogen required for specified yield targets.The Olsen's procedure for available phosphorus estimation was inadequate to explain the relationship between soil available phosphorus and sugarcane response as indicated by results obtained using the TNAU Model II. The incorporation of the term in this model caters for the actual situation in the field in respect of the relationship between soil and fertilizer phosphorus availabilities and phosphorus uptake by sugarcane proving usefulness of this model for assessing the amount of phosphorus required for specified cane yield targets.The results indicated that a considerable amount of potassium from the soil reserve was released into the soil available pool due to a priming effect. This fraction was preferentially absorbed by sugarcane compared to the fractions extracted by 0.1 N HNO₃ as indicated by results obtained using the TNAU Model II. In this case too, the actual situation regarding the relationship between soil and fertilizer potassium availabilities and potassium uptake by sugarcane is catered for by this model proving its superiority over the other two procedures for assessing the amount of potassium required for specified yield targets.