Objectives: To make analysis of the changes in fertilizer consumption over time as well as across the different regions in the state of Rajasthan in India.
Methods: The present investigation pertaining to the spatial and temporal variations of fertilizer consumption in Rajasthan was conducted in the year 2017-18. In this study, district wise data were collected on fertilizer consumption for the state of Rajasthan from the period 1967-68 to 2014-15 and was classified under the 10 agro-climatic zones of Rajasthan. For the purpose of analysis, the study was divided into two periods; Post-green revolution period (1967-68 to 1990-91) and Post-reform period (1991-92 to 2014-15). The Post-green revolution period (1967-68 to 1990-91) has been further divided into two sub-phases: Post-green revolution- Phase I (1967-68 to 1980-81) and Post-green revolution- Phase II (1981-82 to 1990-91). The study has been conducted for four different periods’ viz., period I (1967-68), period II (1980-81), period III (1991-92) and period IV (2014-15).
Findings: The results of present study indicated that that the overall increase in fertilizer consumption in 2014-15 over 1967-68 was 5314.41% in Rajasthan. The highest per cent change in overall fertilizer consumption was found in zone IC and lowest in zoneIIB. Further, on gross cropped area basis, the fertilizer consumption had increased from 1.44 Kg/ha in 1967-68 to 53.60 Kg/ha in 2014-15 in Rajasthan. Moreover, it was observed that Zone V had the maximum fertilizer use and Zone IA had lowest fertilizer use during all different points of the study period. The coefficient of variation for the state as a whole was 48.59% during the period 1967-68 to 1980-81 which decreased to 24.16% during 1991-92 to 2014-15. The value of coefficient of variation for the overall study period was 73.51% for the state.
Application: Keeping in view the widely growing concerns regarding the soil health due to over application of fertilizers makes it worthwhile to have a study of spatial and temporal changes in the fertilizer consumption pattern in order to optimize their use for balanced agricultural production.