**5. Conclusion**

Analysis of 62 years of data of the long-term trial confirmed that application of mineral fertilizer N + P + K + Mg as the balanced nutrition and supplementing FYM with mineral fertilizer as the integrated nutrition supports the social, economic, and environmental aspects of sustainable crop production. Any unbalanced nutrition caused by omitting nutrients or applying average quantities of FYM alone resulted in a reduction of crop yield and revenue. It contributed to inefficient use of nutrients and resources, an unstable yield increase, and a depletion of soil fertility with negative implications on sustainability.

Violation of the Law of the Minimum by omitting nutrients decreased crop yield, revenue, SYI, WUE, NUE, PUE, and KUE, respectively by 7–65%, 89–812 \$ha−1, 1–22%, 7–63%, 5–23%, 6–49%, and 7–56% compared to the balanced nutrition, because essential functions of the missing nutrients cannot be fulfilled by any other nutrient. Application of FYM alone as organic fertilizer at the local rates in the long-term trial decreased crop yield, revenue, SYI, WUE, NUE, PUE, and KUE, respectively by 44%, 492 \$ha−1, 10%, 40%, 33%, 23%, and 24% compared to the integrated nutrition, because nutritional needs of crop were not fully satisfied due to unpredictable availability and the unbalanced ratio of nutrients in the FYM.

Therefore, both the balanced and integrated principles of crop nutrition are the best management strategies to support the positive impacts of technological progress in crop production without depleting the soil fertility. They are important to sustain crop production for future generations while the environment is protected.
