**3.3 Nitrogen smart**

Conventionally, climate resilient crops (pearl millet, sorghum, quinoa etc.) are grown on marginal soils (low fertility) without application of nitrogen. Nitrogen application should be considered as an important component of dryland, rain-fed and irrigated systems. Soil fertility along with climatic risks are obstructing crop productivity in arid and semi-arid environments of Pakistan. Nitrogen smart interventions are those strategies in precision agriculture where most of the people do not focus before growing crops, especially the ignoring

**Figure 3.**

*Resource (water, carbon, nitrogen and energy) smart interventions.*

crops (pearl millet, sorghum, quinoa etc.) and started to prepare their lands for cultivation. Applying the right source of N, at the right rate, at the right time, and in the right place is another important aspect in nitrogen management. In climate smart interventions, farmers must use leaf color charts, handheld crop sensors, and nutrient decision-maker tools to decide the most appropriate dosage of nitrogen fertilizers for crops. The use of crop canopy sensors is a good example of the interventions and an important precision agriculture tool into the decision-making process. These interventions not only save costs, but also cause decrease in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions especially from puddled rice fields [32].
