Establishment of Soil Fertility Gradient and Its Statistical Verification Based on Soil and Crop Response

To assess the effects of soil fertility gradient on crop yield, nutrient uptake, and soil fertility, a field experiment was conducted on an oat crop at Norman. E. Borlaug Crop Research Centre, G.B.U.A.&T, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India during rabi 2020–21. The experimental field was partitioned into three identical strips. In strip I, N0P0K0 was applied, while strip II received N100P100K100, and strip III was treated with N200P200K200 fertilizers. Nutrient sources included of N:P:K mixture, urea, single superphosphate, and muriate of potash. Oats were cultivated as the exhaust crop, following recommended agronomic procedures, and were harvested upon reaching maturity. Samples of both grain and straw were collected from each strip. The nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents of these samples were assessed, and the total nutrient uptake was calculated. A short-term exhaust crop is grown to transform fertilizer in the soil with plant and microbial activities.