Comments

“The leaf color chart (LCC) is a simple, easy-to-use, and inexpensive tool to monitor crop N status and apply N as per crop demand for N in soils with variable soil N supply status in crop fields. It helps to feed crops when they need the N the most. By using the LCC for variable N management, farmers reap many benefits:

i. Same or increased crop yields with the same or reduced N fertilizer application.
ii. Higher profit due to:
a. Reduced cost on N fertilizers
b. Healthy crops and no lodging that facilitate efficient harvesting at lower cost
c. Increased grain yields and better grain quality that commands higher prices in markets
d. Reduced cost on pesticide use due to improved crop health with optimal N fertilizer use

In addition, the use of the LCC for efficient N use will help improve environmental quality due to:
i. Reduced N and pesticides runoff from crop fields
ii. Reduced N pollution of soil and water bodies such as rivers, lakes, and oceans
iii. Less green-house gas (nitrous oxide) emission from optimally N fertilized crops
iv. Higher carbon di oxide fixation by the optimally fertilized healthy bumper crops”

"Leaf colour chart (LCC) is an inexpensive and easy-to-use diagnostic tool for field-specific and need-based application of fertilizer nitrogen in a range of crops. By helping farmers not to apply fertilizer nitrogen more than the requirement of crop, use of LCC ensures not only production of crops at optimum yield levels but also with minimum loss of applied nitrogen to the environment. Because excess nitrogen in the soil-plant system can be lost via leaching to groundwater, via runoff to surface waters, via volatilization of ammonia and emission of nitrous oxide to the atmosphere, using LCC for managing fertilizer N ensures minimal degradation of the environment and significant reduction in the possibility of climate change. Thus, LCC can help farmers to save on fertilizer use and governments to save on expenditure to fight nitrogen related environmental degradation and climate change. Because fields differ from each other in terms of indigenous supply of nitrogen, the ability of LCC to work in a field-specific manner ensures that in each field fertilizer nitrogen is applied by taking into account the amount of nitrogen already available from soil or any other source like organic manures, biological nitrogen fixation or atmospheric deposition. Let us help farmers to extensively use LCC for managing fertilizer nitrogen in their fields"

"The CLCC based N application can enhance rice yield by 10 to 15 % over conventional stage based N application to enhance. Additionally, it has potential of cutting down approximately 25 % fertilizer N consumption in rice, thereby mitigating GHG emission and other forms of reactive N pollution related to use of nitrogenous fertilizer"

"The leaf colour chart (LCC) is a low-cost, handy and easy-to-use as a diagnostic tool for monitoring the relative chlorophyll content of a Sugarcane leaf as an indicator of the plant N status. LCC is a tool to rapidly assess leaf greenness and thereby guide the Real-time N management can consequently be vital for achieving high sugarcane yield. General yellowing of the leaves taken place when nitrogen deficiency occurred in healthy plant. At what stage nitrogen is to be applied can be determined by using 6 panel Leaf colour chart in sugarcane. LCC reduces nitrous oxide (GHG) emission due to optimum use of nitrogen fertilizer and thus helps to mitigate climate change. LCC increase economic returns of farmers through reduced inputs cost, less crop loss, and yields good quality Cane. Farmers can adjust the N application as per the crop demand and enhance N use efficiency. UAS, Dharwad established LCC technology for real time site specific N management in Sugarcane and licensed the M/s Nitrogen Parameters, Chennai for manufacturing and marketing the product and to disseminate the technology in the sugarcane command area. So I advise the sugarcane farmers to make of use of the LCC as a tool for optimum use of Nitrogen and maintain the productivity and sustainability of the soil"

"Six Panel Leaf Colour Chart (LCC) developed for Millets (pearl millet, sorghum and finger millet) by ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad with financial support of Nitrogen parameters. LCC panel aids in real time management of top-dressed nitrogen through matching LCC readings of a standing millet crop. LCC recorded for standing crop gives fair understanding of contribution from basal application and its deviation from optimum values. Accordingly, fertilizer N top dressing dose can be adjusted so as to reach optimum LCC values by peak vegetative stage. This results in not only in realization of the best yields and income through N dose adjustments. I advise the millet farmers to follow the LCC based leaf greenness measurement-based nitrogen topdressing for higher yields and profits realization. It is helpful in reducing both overuse and or preventing under use of nitrogen fertilizer. "

"Leaf Colour Chart is an inexpensive and effective tool for nitrogen management in mustard crop. Farmers can easily use it as it does not require any technical skills to assess nitrogen requirement of the crop by observing green colour of leaves. Farmers can use the LCC to quickly assess the nitrogen status in leaves themselves and determine the amount of nitrogen to be applied at a time. LCC helps in synchronizing the nitrogen demand and supply of the crop and avoid excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers. It saves approximately 25-30 per cent of nitrogen over the recommended rates. By avoiding unnecessary nitrogen fertilizer application, the farmers can increase their net profit as it reduces the cost of cultivation. It will helps in saving of fertilizer subsidies as giving by the government and reduces the exchequer. LCC use will redound in maintaining the soil fertility and the crop will not be damaged due to side effect of excessive nitrogen application. Optimized nitrogen application will reduce nitrate pollution in groundwater and pesticide use to control pest and diseases, and also mitigate nitrous oxide emission. The use of LCC for managing N fertilizers can play significant role in minimizing environmental degradation and climate change impacts. This chart is readily available in the markets for farmers at very affordable prices. I suggest the farmers to make the use of LCC for optimum nitrogen to maintain healthy soil environment and to mitigate global climate change impacts."