Abstract:
Wheat is one of the staple crops cultivated across the globe, which is currently facing challenges in terms of yield and grain quality due to the changing climatic environment. This change includes the occurrence of warmer temperatures, erratic rainfall, drought, and extreme weather conditions. Nutrient management becomes crucial for sustaining the yield and quality of the crop in such a climatic environment. The proper use of the essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, and micronutrients in accordance with their requirement by plants can be beneficial for growth, nutrient use efficiency, and grain formation. Management of nitrogen becomes vital since the excessive and inappropriate use of nitrogen can adversely affect nutrient use efficiency and the environment. Nutrient management strategies like split application, foliar feeding, and the use of controlled-release or enhanced efficiency fertilizers could go a long way in synchronizing nutrient requirements of crops with the supply of nutrients and minimizing the nutrient loss under heat and drought conditions. Hence, integrated nutrient management becomes imperative in order to realize higher and sustainable yields of wheat, improve grain quality and minimize the environmental footprint of wheat cultivation.
