Factors Driving Decision Making on Soil Nutrient Management Practices Followed by Farmers of Karaikal Region of Puducherry U.T.

Soil nutrient management plays an important role in maintaining sustainable soil health for the future generation. The state or innate ability of the soil to provide nutrients to plants in sufficient quantities and the right proportions is known as soil fertility. Sustainable Soil fertility was maintained by following proper nutrient management by following four R’s such as the Right quantity of fertilizers at the Right time with the Right source and the Right placement. The prime first step toward sustainable farming is using an optimal amount of fertilizers as well as following the cropping pattern as per the scientific recommendation. The multinomial logit model was used to predict a nominal dependent variable in this study (SPSS version 28). In the outcome of the model, it can be observed that age, education, livestock, family size, cultivated area, distance to fertility material sources, level of soil fertility severity of soil nutrient depletion, tenure, recommended dose, residual effect and soil conservation measures are significantly contributing meaningfully to the model. Gender and awareness of soil fertilizer pollution show a negative effect on the choice of soil fertility management choices. If the farmers in the study area use integrated soil nutrient or fertility management compared with other nutrient management choices, sustainable use and management of agricultural land will be promoted. Using Soil Health Card promotes balanced use of nutrient sources by avoiding dumping or reducing the usage of fertility or nutrient sources.