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Soil, water and production systems constitute the most important natural resources of a watershed in the rainfed agro-ecosystem; and for sustainability of the production systems they need to be in harmony with the environment. To learn from the past research, a review is made of literature on the impact of natural resource management practices on soil and water quality in the semi-arid tropical regions of India. The results from long-term on station field experiments show that an integrated use of soil and water conservation practices with balanced plant nutrition can not only sustain increased productivity but also maintain soil quality at the watershed or catchment level. Natural resource management practices that conserve soil and water also help to maintain surface and groundwater quality. The changes in soil and water quality, as impacted by natural resource management practices, need to be monitored and assessed on a continuing basis as the outcome of such research offers valuable opportunity for the implementation of corrective management practices, as and when needed.

Information on soil±plant nutrient balance in India and elsewhere is scarce and mostly generalized. A review of earlier studies on nutrient balances was done to assess their relevance for researchers, policy makers, and farmers' understanding, to manage soil fertility for sustainable crop productivity. An on-farm nutrient balance study during 1995/1996 and 1996/1997 was designed to understand nutrient balances resulting from farmers' practices in semi-arid tropical regions of India. This diagnostic study targeted sorghum-based cropping systems and groundnut-based cropping systems in low rainfall areas of the Indian SAT. Selection of farmers for this study was done through a systematic survey and analyses of factors effecting farmers' decision making for nutrient inputs. Intensive plot-speci®c nutrient input and output measurements were carried out on 53 farmers' ®elds for sorghum-based systems and 45 farmers' ®elds for groundnut-based system in this study. Topsoil mineral nitrogen (N) content observed in 2 years at the beginning of the crop season in two locations of Andhra Pradesh, India, was surprisingly high and exchangeable potassium (K) contents also indicated suf®cient supply in most ®elds. Available phosphorus (P) in the majority of ®elds in both locations was around threshold levels, and just suf®cient for most crops. The nutrient balance in sorghum-based systems indicates a moderate to higher negative balance of potassium leading to soil mining for potassium supply in these systems. Nitrogen and P balances were generally positive. Although the groundnut-based system accumulated 53% of its N requirements through BNF, negative balances of N and K were observed mainly due to low applications of these nutrients. Application of K along with options for improving BNF of groundnut are suggested. Better nodulating groundnut cultivars and ef®cient rhizobium strains need to be introduced. High positive balances were observed in the systems whenever commercial crops like castor and cotton were sown in the rotation. This indicates farmers' preferences for applying excess quantities of FYM to commercially important crops even in dryland farming systems. The replenishment costs of mined nutrients annually in different cropping systems were calculated based on current market prices of inorganic fertilizers.

Experiments were conducted on-farm during two seasons (2003-2004) to determine the effects of sulfur (S), boron (B), and zinc (Zn) fertilization on the grain and straw quality of sorghum and maize grown under rainfed conditions in the semi-arid zone of India. The farmers' fields were deficient in S, B, and Zn; in addition the soils were low in organic matter and extractable phosphorus (P), but adequate in extractable potassium (K). Results showed that the applications of S, B, and Zn (SBZn) with nitrogen (N) and P (SBZn + NP) significantly increased the grain N, S, and Zn concentrations in maize and sorghum compared to farmer inputs (FI) and SBZn treatments; the results relative to P and B composition of the grain of the crops were not consistent and did not show any definite trend. The application of SBZn + NP over FI generally increased N, S, and Zn concentration in sorghum and maize straw compared to FI and SBZn treatments. The straw composition of the crops relative to P and B did not show a consistent trend. The results of this study along with the results of our earlier research demonstrate that balanced nutrition of rainfed crops not only increases yields but also enhances N, S, and Zn contents in grain and straw of these crops.