Effects of long term urea overuse, nutrient imbalance, soil acidity, declining response, correction.
Why does over using urea every year reduce my yield response over time?
JJaspal Singh7mo ago · 202 views
6 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓7mo ago
Pushing more and more urea while ignoring other nutrients leads to imbalance, so the extra nitrogen has less and less to work with and the yield response flattens or falls. Heavy nitrogen without matching potash, sulphur, zinc, and organic matter mines those nutrients, can make the soil more acidic over time, encourages lush growth that lodges and attracts pests, and pollutes groundwater. The fix is balanced fertilisation: bring the NPK ratio closer to crop need, add the deficient micronutrients shown by your soil test, build organic carbon with FYM and residue, and split nitrogen properly. Often you can cut total urea and still hold or raise yield. Re-test through the Soil Health Card and rebalance with your KVK; do not over apply.
HHarbhajan Singh Gill6mo ago
This was me for years, more urea every season chasing dark green wheat. The crop grew tall and lush but then lodged in the wind and I lost grain, plus more aphids came. Cutting the urea back to a sensible split and adding potash gave me a sturdier crop that actually yielded more.
GGurnam Singh Sandhu5mo ago
Adding FYM and stopping stubble burning brought my fields back to life after years of just urea. The soil had gone hard and lifeless. With organic matter back, the same urea dose gives a better response now because the soil can hold and supply nutrients again. Urea alone slowly empties the soil.
BBalkar Singh Dhaliwal5mo ago
Get a soil test and you will often find zinc and sulphur sitting low, which is why piling on nitrogen stops working. In our belt zinc was the hidden limit. Once I corrected zinc and added potash, the crop responded again. Nitrogen cannot do the job alone if other nutrients are missing.
SSukhdev Singh Gill5mo ago
This was my story, more urea every year for dark green wheat, until it lodged in the wind and the aphids came. Cutting the urea to a sensible split and adding potash gave a sturdier crop that yielded more on less nitrogen. Greener is not always better.
JJagsir Singh Brar4mo ago
A soil test showed my zinc and sulphur sitting low, which is why the extra urea had stopped working. Once I corrected those and added FYM, the same nitrogen gave a better response. Nitrogen cannot carry the crop alone if other nutrients are missing.