Enhancing Nutrient Use Eficiency in Pulses Under Diversified Farming through Agronomic Manipulations

Pulse crops, renowned for their nitrogen-fixing abilities, play a pivotal role in replenishing soil nutrients, offering versatile solutions for crop diversification and intensification across various agroecosystems. Strategies such as intercropping and crop rotation prove effective in optimizing nutrient utilization in pulses, while agronomic interventions like precision water management, crop rotation, and microbial inoculation contribute significantly to nutrient use efficiency (NUE). The chapter underscores the importance of precision nutrient management through practices like soil testing and balanced fertilization tailored to pulse crop requirements. Noteworthy environmentally friendly approaches include microbial inoculation with rhizobia bacteria, enhancing nitrogen fixation, and nutrient solubilization. The critical impact of planting techniques, crop residue management, and sowing windows on NUE is explored, highlighting their quantifiable contributions to soil organic matter enhancement, nutrient recycling, and erosion control.