{"id":20905,"date":"2026-04-27T06:48:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T06:48:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/?p=20905"},"modified":"2026-04-27T06:53:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T06:53:20","slug":"smart-farming-improving-nutrient-use-efficiency-nue-through-organics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/2026\/04\/27\/smart-farming-improving-nutrient-use-efficiency-nue-through-organics\/","title":{"rendered":"Smart Farming: Improving Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE) through Organics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n


Awareness and interest in improved Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE) has never been greater. Driven by a growing public belief that crop nutrients are excessive in the environment and farmer concerns about rising fertilizer prices, energy crisis and stagnant crop prices, the fertilizer industry is under increasing pressure to improve nutrient use efficiency. The mineral nutrients applied but not taken by the crop are vulnerable to losses from leaching, erosion, denitrification, volatilization, and temporary fixation. Low nutrient recovery efficiency not only increases the cost of crop production but also causes environmental pollution. Agronomic nutrient use efficiency (kg crop yield increase per kg nutrient applied) is the basis for both economic and environmental efficiency.The use efficiency of nitrogen ranges from 20-30% under rainfed conditions and 30-40% under irrigated conditions, 10-30% for phosphorous, 50-60% for potassium, 8-12% for sulphur, and hardly 4-5% for the micronutrients. It indicates that, roughly 50% of N and 90% of P applied through chemical fertilizers are lost to water and the atmosphere, which causes water eutrophication, Green House Gases Emission (GHGE), and environmental issues. Application of organic manures is considered a promising strategy for smart farming, through optimizing the nutrient use efficiency of applied nutrients.\u00a0

Optimizing Nutrient Use Efficiency through Organic Manures <\/strong>
Organic manures are the natural materials from plants and animal sources that directly and indirectly affect the soil\u2019s physiochemical and biological properties. A bio-fertilizer, a misnomer, is also a type of organic carrier that contains beneficial microbes (algal, fungal, bacteria) that improves plant growth by mobilizing the soil available nutrients through their biological activities. These microorganisms enhance nutrient use efficiency (NUE) by fixing atmospheric N, solubilizing insoluble P and K, production of phytohormones, siderophores, and improving plant nutrient uptake through enhancement of root architecture and rhizosphere interactions. Apart from nutrient supply, bio-fertilisers enhance soil enzymatic activity, increase soil organic carbon, promote soil carbon stabilization and restore microbial diversity. Moreover, they contribute to climate-resilient agriculture by improving plant tolerance to drought, salinity, and temperature stress, and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Animal excreta is the greatest source of organic manure around the globe, followed by poultry and pig manures. Animal manures are a good and sustainable source of NPK, and the total N excreted in animal manure globally ranges from 81.5 to128.3 Tg per year, though the type and amount of N in animal manure vary significantly. The fertilizer industry supports the application of nutrients at the right source, right rate, right time, and in the right place (4R Stewardship) as a best management practice (BMP) for achieving the optimum nutrient efficiency.

Right source <\/strong>
Organic sources of nutrients are considered as the most sustainable and environment friendly than synthetic inorganic fertilizers because they release nutrients slowly; ensuring a steady supply of nutrients to the plants, reducing the risk of nutrient wastage, water pollution and harming beneficial soil organisms. In addition to increasing soil fertility, organic manures improve soil organic carbon (SOC) content, soil microbial activity for crucial nutrients recycling, water retention and soil aeration, aggregates stability, maintain soil pH, and minimize risk of groundwater contamination. Due to their slow-release nature, organic manures reduce volatilization of nitrogen species, and their ability to prevent acidification, while increasing organic matter content of soils, promotes carbon sequestration, further preventing greenhouse gases emission. Since organic manures are derived mainly from waste, they are renewable, and do not compete with humans and animals for food. Organic manures are therefore a sustainable alternative to inorganic fertilizers.
Most crops are location and season specific-depending on cultivar, management practices, climate, etc. Key strategies for enhancing NUE via organic sources include:
Organic Amendments: Compost, animal manure, de-oiled cakes, and crop residues add nutrients to soil, while enhancing soil organic matter and microbial activity, which helps nutrient cycling.
Cover Crops and Rotations: Planting cover crops, especially legumes, fixes nitrogen and reduces nutrient leaching, with some holding onto nitrogen that would otherwise be lost.
Precision Application: Utilizing precision agriculture techniques, such as Variable Rate Technology (VRT), enables applying organic amendments exactly when and where needed.

Right rate<\/strong>
Adequate and balanced application of mineral nutrients is one of the most common practices for improving the efficiency of applied N. Both over- and under-application of plant nutrients result in reduced nutrient use efficiency or losses in yield and crop quality. Soil testing is the most powerful tool available for determining the nutrient supplying capacity of the soil, thereby enabling the farmers to make appropriate decision on right rate of nutrient application, through organic manures. Unfortunately, soil testing is not available in all regions because reliable laboratories using methodology appropriate to local soils and crops are inaccessible or calibration data relevant to current cropping systems and yields are lacking.

Right time <\/strong>
Greater synchrony between crop demand and nutrient supply is necessary to improve nutrient use efficiency, especially for N. Split application of N during the growing season is effective in increasing N use efficiency. Tissue testing is a well-known method to assess N status of growing crops, but other diagnostic tools are also available. Chlorophyll meters are useful in fine-tuning in-season-N management and Leaf Colour Charts (LCC) have been highly successful in guiding split N applications in rice and maize. Precision farming technologies have introduced, and now commercialized, on-the-go-N sensors that can be coupled with variable rate fertilizer applicators to automatically correct crop N deficiencies on a site-specific basis. Use of N stabilizers and controlled release fertilizers synchronize the release of N with crop need. Similarly, nitrogen stabilizers (Nitrapyrin, DCD [dicyandiamide], NBPT [n-butylthiophosphorictriamide]) inhibit nitrification or urease activity, thereby slowing the conversion of the applied nitrogen forms into nitrate. The most promising coated-fertilizers like neem coated urea (NCU), sulphur coated urea (SCU) and lac coated urea (LCU) are the slow release fertilizers that release the nitrogen in a controlled manner.

Right place<\/strong>
Application method has always been critical in increasing nutrient use efficiency. Numerous placements are available, but most of these involve surface or sub-surface applications before or after planting. Prior to planting, nutrients can be broadcast, applied as a band on the surface, or applied as a subsurface band, usually 5 to 20 cm deep. At planting, nutrients can be banded with the seed, below the seed, or below and to the side of the seed. The recommended dose of phosphorus must be applied through basal application, preferably in root zone at planting. After planting, the application is usually restricted to N, and in some cases for K. Placement can be as a top-dress or a subsurface side-dress. In general, nutrient recovery efficiency tends to be higher with banded applications because less contact with the soil lessens the opportunity for nutrient loss due to leaching or fixation reactions. Placement decisions depend on the crop and soil conditions, which interact to influence nutrient uptake and availability.

Effect of Organic Manures on Growth and Yield of Crops<\/strong>
Application of organic manures improved the seedling growth, green leaf area, panicles, seed set, and final grain production of most of the crops by improving microbial activity, nutrient availability, nutrient uptake, physiological and antioxidant activities of plants. Use of cow, pig, rabbit, poultry manures, green manure, and NPK reported to increase the yield of okra by 57.9, 36.2, 35.3, 39.2, 45.5, and 3.2%, respectively. Application of organic manures also improved the tomato yield by 42.2%, and the same way, there is a considerable yield increase in maize and soybean, upon addition of organic manures. The crop productivity and soil nutrient (Zinc, Copper, Iron and Manganese) concentration increased with the application of poultry and farmyard manure.


Effect of Organic Manures on Quality of Crops
Application of organic manures effectively promotes the vegetative as well as reproductive growth and final quality of crops. Use of organic manures markedly reduced the nitrate contents of pepper and there is an appreciable effect on fruit water contents, total soluble solids (TSSs), and flavonoid contents of Ziziphus jujuba (Red Date), with the application of biochar and soybean cake. Similarly, organic manures increased TSSs, soluble sugars (SSs), lycopene, vitamin C, and nitrate content of tomato by 11.86, 42.18, 23.95, 18.97, and 8.36%, respectively. Use of organic manures substantially increased the seed quality parameters and nutrient content of plants. The application of organic manures to blueberries significantly increased their yield and quality. Poultry manure plus millet husks enhanced sesame growth, seed yield and seed protein content than crop residues and animal manure applied singly. Vermicompost, yet another organic manure, significantly improved the acid contents, antioxidant activity, and fruit yield of vegetable crops. Similarly, chicken manure increased the tomato yield and soluble protein content by 43 and 23%, respectively. No doubt, organic manures, appreciably improve the quality of crops; however, this depends on the type of organic manures applied.


Effect of Organic Manures on Soil Quality
Application of organic manure is considered as an imperative strategy to improve the soil fertility and sustain the agro-ecosystem, as a whole, by improving the soil organic matter (SOM), soil structure, aggregate stability, nutrient uptake, water-holding capacity, cation exchange capacity, microbial activities and of course, nutrient use efficiency of soil. The increase in the NUE through the application of organic materials emphasizes the importance of balanced crop nutrition that can ensure better crop productivity. Vermicompost applied @ 5 t\/ha appreciably increased the moisture retention and available water content. Soil microbes play an important role in the decomposition and release of nutrients from organic materials. Soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and N are considered as the important indices of microbial load and soil fertility. Application of organic manure changes the soil bacterial structure and increases the abundance of beneficial bacteria including Bacilli and Flavobacteriales. Addition of organic matter, applied through organic manures, not only increases the microbial population and activity, but also improves the soil fertility status, through enhancing the nutrient availability by degradation of soil organic matter (SOM) and consequent release of mineral nutrients to plants.


Role of Organic Manures on Combating Abiotic Stresses<\/strong>
The biochemical and molecular processes of plants are being favourably altered due to the application of organic materials, that enables the plants abiotic conditions. Besides this, organic manures also enhance crop growth and yield under both normal and stress conditions, through substantially improving the soil fertility.\u00a0 Application of organic manure resulted in improving the tolerance against drought, salinity, heat, and heavy metals, through increasing the leaf water status, nutrient uptake, nutrient homeostasis, synthesis of chlorophyll, osmolytes, hormones, secondary metabolites, antioxidant activities and gene expression.
Role of Organic Manures to Mitigate Salinity Stress Application of organic manures significantly improves plant performance under saline conditions. Vermicompost improves the morphological and biochemical traits of plants under saline conditions. Biochar, an organic material, improves root growth, dry matter production, leaf area, and yield, under saline conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Role of Organic Manures to Mitigate Drought Stress<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n


The growth and productivity of plants, through physiological and biochemical changes, is drastically affected by drought stress, a serious threat to food security. Application of organic manures (compost, vermicompost, biochar, and FYM) improves the crop yield and offer high resilience against drought stress. The increase in soil organic carbon and soil organic matter, mineral nutrient concentration, and soil-water holding capacity, with use of organic manures, allow the plants\u2019 ability to withstand drought conditions. Organic manures also induce the tolerance against water deficit conditions through increasing the microbial activity and fungal-to-bacterial ratio in soil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n


Role of Organic Manures to Mitigate Heavy Metals Stress<\/strong>
Heavy metals (HMs) are also a serious threat to crop productivity and human health. The concentration of HMs is increasing in the environment due to anthropogenic activities. The use of organic fertilizers can reduce the concentration and availability of HM in contaminated soils. Organic materials (cow manure, compost, poultry manure, sheep manure, and biochar) form complexes with HMs, therefore reducing their availability and uptake by plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n


Role of Organic Manures to Mitigate Temperature Stress<\/strong>
Temperature is one of the most important environmental factors regulating growth and yield; however, both low and high temperatures adversely affect plant growth and yield. The use of organic manure is suggested as an important approach in improving heat tolerance in plants. Organic fertilizers enhance plant heat tolerance by improving soil organic matter, organic carbon, microbial activity, soil structure thereby increasing soil water retention, reducing acidification, that help plants withstand high temperatures. They increase leaf chlorophyll, leaf area, and biomass yield (up to 78%), allowing crops to maintain growth, reduce nutrient uptake inhibition, and improve root development during temperature stress. Organic manure improved the chlorophyll concentration, leaf area, plant height, stem width, and biomass yield by 35, 36, 41, 59, and 78% under heat stress, respectively.
Improving nutrient use efficiency is a challenge facing the farmers, fertilizer industry, and agriculture in general. But opportunities are there and tools are available to accomplish the task of improving the efficiency of applied nutrients in smart farming. However, we must be cautious that improvements in efficiency do not come at the expense of the farmers\u2019 economic viability or the environment. Application of organic manures improves soil organic matter, macro-aggregates, enzymatic activities, and microbial activities, improving crop growth and yield. The application of organic fertilizers substantially improves water uptake, water use efficiency, nutrient uptake, osmolyte accumulation, antioxidant activity and gene expression, providing better resistance against abiotic stresses. Judicious application of organic manures, best management practices following the concept of 4R Stewardship i.e., right source at right rate, right time, and right place, targeting both high yields and nutrient efficiency will benefit farmers, society, and the environment alike. Use of organic manure must be optimized for different crops considering the climate, soil, and crop conditions, and their combined use with synthetic chemical fertilizers can provide an excellent solution. Increasing the awareness among the farmers on the benefits of organic manures in improving the crop productivity, besides sustaining the soil fertility and agro-ecosystems, remains a pressing priority and critical imperative for advancement of sustainable smart farming.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Awareness and interest in improved Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE) has never been greater. Driven by a growing public belief that crop nutrients are excessive in the environment and farmer concerns about rising fertilizer prices, energy crisis and stagnant crop prices, the fertilizer industry is under increasing pressure to improve nutrient use efficiency. The mineral nutrients […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":20907,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[1174],"class_list":{"0":"post-20905","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uncategorized"},"authors":[{"term_id":1174,"user_id":33,"is_guest":0,"slug":"kamaljamatia","display_name":"kamal jamatia","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/564a074770eb17d36f3af441d462b8a2a809599748f74220740b1d3b52879fcf?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Faguli.in%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F07%2FPHOTO-2023-09-14-08-30-32-3.jpg&r=g","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20905"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20905\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20906,"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20905\/revisions\/20906"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20905"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=20905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}