Widespread Zinc and Other Deficiencies in the Rainfed Semi Arid Tropics of India: Soil Maps as Tools to Delineate and Manage Deficient Regions

Apart from water shortages, the productivity in rainfed systems of semi arid India is low due to poor fertility status of the soils (Sahrawat et. al., 2010). However, little effort has been made to diagnose and manage the nutrient related problems in farmers’ fields and the usual practice of applying sub‐optimal amounts of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) continues in rainfed farming. For a sustainable increase in rainfed productivity, the issues related to soil fertility need to be addressed on priority. The first objective of this communication is to show how soil testing can be used to diagnose and manage nutrient problems in the farmers’ fields. The other objective is to prepare nutrient maps using the GIS and delineate deficient regions from sufficient ones for use by farmers and other stakeholders