Environment and Disaster Management › Conservation initiatives
हिन्दी — Read in HindiSustainable agriculture
Farming that saves soil, water and fertiliser: natural farming, new fertilisers, soil health, rice grown with less water, millets and agroforestry. Agriculture and its environment is part of the GS3 syllabus.
Foundation note: Farming practices and inputs a question tests: natural farming, nano urea, SRI and the rest
Showing 1 of 2 articles, those that changed from 1 to 30 June 2026.Show all
Fertiliser registration and nutrient use efficiency
Copy link to Fertiliser registration and nutrient use efficiencyPrelims and Mains
New fertilisers are registered under the Fertiliser (Control) Order, 1985: a dossier, two season bio efficacy trials by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and State universities, and Central Fertiliser Committee review.
- Water soluble fertilisers have needed only general specifications since 2015.
- Urea and diammonium phosphate (DAP) have the lowest nutrient use efficiency, nitrogen being lost as ammonia and as nitrate into groundwater and phosphorus locking into insoluble compounds; controlled release and water soluble fertilisers do far better.
- Under the Nutrient Based Subsidy the subsidy is fixed per nutrient and retail prices of phosphatic and potassic fertilisers follow world markets, while urea stays price controlled.
- Cheaper urea encourages excess nitrogen and unbalanced soils.
Nutrient use efficiency by fertiliser type
| Fertiliser | Share of the nutrient the crop takes up |
|---|---|
| Urea | 30 to 40 per cent |
| DAP | 15 to 25 per cent |
| Controlled release | 60 to 70 per cent |
| Water soluble | 80 to 95 per cent |
What changed
12 Jun 2026
- The fertiliser subsidy for 2026 to 2027 is set to far exceed the amount budgeted.
- The Agriculture Ministry agreed in principle to exempt fertilisers meeting quality and safety standards from mandatory field trials.
The Indian Express, 12 Jun 2026: Why government is looking to issue faster approvals for new fertilisers (opens in a new tab) · The Indian Express, 15 Jun 2026: Urea price crash opens window for reforms in India (opens in a new tab)
Also filed elsewhere
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Pollinators are infrastructure for farming: the Food and Agriculture Organisation credits bee pollination with almost a third of global crop output.
- Stubble burning and crop residue management · on Air pollution
Stubble burning is the burning of paddy residue in the fields of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh after harvest, in October and November.