ABSTRACT
102Most of farmers in India apply fertilizer through broadcasting method. This practice leads to heavy loss of nutrients through volatilization and denitrification of N and fixation of P and K in the soil, which ultimately reduces the nutrient use efficiency (NUE). This type of fertilizer application adversely affects soil health and production capacity. Therefore, efficient use of fertilizer and water is critical to sustained agricultural production. High fertilizer use efficiency (FUE) is possible through ferti- gation, where plant nutrients are placed around the plant roots as per crop nutrient demand at different growth stages. This chapter explains the importance of fertigation for efficient management of nutrients.
