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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp2 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Precision nitrogen management for sustainable rice production: Impacts on nutrient uptake and energy use in Eastern Himalayas

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.13876
Submitted
29 January 2026
Published
10-06-2026

Abstract

Rice production in the Eastern Himalayas is constrained by declining soil fertility and inefficient nutrient use. This study hypothesised that real-time precision nitrogen management (PNM) using diagnostic tools could maintain high yields while reducing fertiliser inputs compared to conventional methods. A field experiment was conducted in Meghalaya, India, during 2022 to evaluate 8 nitrogen (N) management strategies for rice (var. Shahsarang-1). Treatments included control (no-N), the recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN, 80 kg ha-1), a soil-test crop response-based application (STCR, 95 kg N ha-1) and real-time applications guided by soil plant analysis development (SPAD) meter (thresholds ≤ 35 and ≤37) and leaf colour chart (LCC < 4). Additionally, treatments combining reduced basal N with nano-urea (NU) foliar sprays were assessed. The highest grain yield and nutrient uptake were recorded in the STCR treatment, which was statistically on par with the SPAD ≤3 7 treatment. Notably, the SPAD ≤37 approach achieved this comparable yield with a lower N application rate than the STCR method. This demonstrates that using a SPAD critical value of ≤ 37 can optimise N application, saving fertiliser without compromising crop productivity or net energy returns. While reduced N with NU sprays showed high energy use efficiency, the associated yield penalty makes it unsuitable for farmer adoption. Therefore, SPAD-guided N application is a highly effective and sustainable strategy for enhancing rice production in the Eastern Himalayas.

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