DAP Alternatives: SSP, NPK 12:32:16, TSP, MAP and Nano DAP Compared, With Bags and Nutrients Worked Out Per Acre

One 50 kg bag of DAP (18-46-0) gives about 9 kg of nitrogen and 23 kg of phosphorus (P2O5). To replace it, match the 23 kg of P2O5, then fix the nitrogen. That is about 1 bag of TSP (0-46-0), 1.4 bags of NPK 12-32-16, 1.8 bags of NPK 10-26-26, 2.3 bags of NPS 20-20-0-13 or 2.9 bags of SSP (0-16-0-11), plus about 20 kg of urea where the swap has no nitrogen. Nano DAP is a spray and seed treatment that can trim the soil dose, not a full replacement. All bag counts are our arithmetic from the grade numbers.

You can use SSP, TSP, MAP, an NPK complex such as 12-32-16 or 10-26-26, or an NPS grade such as 20-20-0-13. All of these are on the Government of India subsidised list (PIB, Rabi 2025-26). Pick the one that fits your crop and soil test, then correct nitrogen.

The grades are from the official list; the "best use" column is our reading of what each nutrient mix does and should be checked against your Soil Health Card. Our soil health card guide explains how to read phosphorus, potash and sulphur on your report. If you want the supply side of the story, read our DAP and urea shortage guide.

DAP is graded 18-46-0-0 (PIB). In a 50 kg bag that is 9 kg of nitrogen (18 percent) and 23 kg of phosphorus as P2O5 (46 percent). This is the number to replace: first the 23 kg of P2O5, then the 9 kg of nitrogen, which equals about 20 kg of urea at 46 percent nitrogen (our arithmetic).

Many farmers switch to SSP or TSP and forget the nitrogen. The crop then looks paler in the first month and the new fertilizer gets the blame. Remember that DAP was doing two jobs. The nitrogen from DAP is also part of your total nitrogen plan, so when you add urea at sowing, trim the later top dressing instead of adding on top.

To match the 23 kg of P2O5 in one DAP bag you need about 2.9 bags of SSP, 2.3 of NPS 20-20-0-13, 1.8 of NPK 10-26-26, 1.4 of NPK 12-32-16, 1 of TSP or 0.9 of MAP. These are our calculations from the grade numbers; always read the grade printed on your bag.

Look at the NPS row. A farmer who swaps a DAP bag for NPS 20-20-0-13 gets about 23 kg of nitrogen at sowing, which is more than double what DAP gave. That is why NPS is better used as a part-substitute with the later urea cut. The old version of this post said 46 kg; the correct figure is about 23 kg.

ICAR's page for wheat variety HD 3226 (North Western Plain Zone, irrigated, timely sown) gives 150 kg nitrogen, 80 kg phosphorus and 60 kg potash per hectare, with phosphorus as 175 kg of DAP (ICAR). Per acre that is about 32 kg phosphorus, so the table below shows what supplies it (our arithmetic).

The same ICAR page says one-third of the nitrogen goes in at sowing along with the full phosphorus and potash, and the rest is split after the first and second irrigations, with the first irrigation 21 days after sowing. That timing is for that variety and zone. For other zones and varieties, use the dose on the variety page or the state package. Our wheat sowing planner and first irrigation and urea timing guide cover the next steps.

Yes, where you can handle the bulk. SSP (0-16-0-11) gives phosphorus plus sulphur, but no nitrogen, and you need about 2.9 bags for the P2O5 in one DAP bag. It suits crops and soils that need sulphur. It does not give nitrogen, so plan urea separately.

Sulphur is the reason to choose SSP. An ICAR-linked Indian Farming article (September 2025) says sulphur improves oil content in mustard and groundnut, and cites an ICAR 2020 report where 20 to 60 kg sulphur per hectare raised mustard yield by 12 to 48 percent under irrigation (Indian Farming). The same article lists SSP at 12 to 14 percent sulphur, while the PIB grade name says 11, so use the number printed on your bag. At 11 percent, about 202 kg of SSP per acre gives about 22 kg sulphur per acre, or about 55 kg per hectare, inside that 20 to 60 kg range (our arithmetic).

• Bulk: 2.9 bags for every DAP bag means more handling, freight and storage space.
• Granular is easier: granular SSP spreads and drills more evenly than powder. Check the bag.
• Sulphur and mustard: see our sulphur for mustard guide and the mustard sowing and fertilizer schedule.
• Do not pre-mix with urea: see the mixing section below.

Yes. NPK 12-32-16 and 10-26-26 both carry nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. About 1.4 bags of 12-32-16 match the phosphorus in one DAP bag and add nitrogen and potash. The catch: you pay for potash, so use it where the soil test shows low or medium potash and cut separate potash.

Do the potash arithmetic before you buy. In the wheat example above, 12-32-16 supplies about 16 kg of K2O per acre, while 10-26-26 supplies about 32 kg. If you were already planning muriate of potash (MOP 0-0-60-0 on the PIB list), subtract the potash the complex gives. Applying both can waste money and, in some crops, leave the nutrient balance off.

Katyayani lists complex and water-soluble NPK fertilizers on its NPK fertilizer collection page. Read each product page for the exact grade and use, because many water-soluble grades are meant for drip and foliar use, not as a basal DAP replacement. For that difference, see our water-soluble fertilizer guide.

Yes. TSP (0-46-0-0) has the same 46 percent P2O5 as DAP, so one bag replaces one bag for phosphorus; MAP (11-52-0-0) has more phosphorus and less nitrogen than DAP. Both are on the subsidised list (PIB). Availability depends on your district, so ask your dealer.

TSP leaves you to supply all 9 kg of nitrogen, and MAP about 4 kg. TNAU says triple superphosphate can be applied before or at sowing or transplanting (TNAU). The ICAR e-course warns against mixing urea with TSP, so spread them separately rather than blending in the bag (ICAR e-course).

Not fully. Nano DAP is a liquid with 8 percent nitrogen and 16 percent P2O5 w/v, sold in 500 ml packs, for seed treatment, root dips and foliar sprays (IFFCO Nano DAP site, composition also on the IFFCO product page). A bottle holds about 80 g of P2O5 against 23 kg in a DAP bag. Trials suggest it can trim, not remove, the soil dose.

The manufacturer's doses are 3 to 5 ml per kg of seed, 3 to 5 ml per litre of water for a 20 to 30 minute root, tuber or sett dip, and 2 to 4 ml per litre as a foliar spray at the good foliage stage (tillering or branching), with a second spray before flowering for long-duration crops. IFFCO's page also claims 50 to 75 percent less conventional DAP is possible with seed or root treatment plus one or two sprays. That is the maker's claim; here is what the trials found.

The fair reading: Nano DAP can help when it is used with a reduced basal dose, but sprays alone did not replace soil phosphorus in the PAU wheat trial. These are wheat trials; do not copy the result to other crops. Our Nano Urea and Nano DAP subsidy post covers the Rajasthan scheme side.

They can help use the phosphorus already in the soil, but they do not replace a full dose in one season. An ICAR-IARI paper notes that direct use efficiency of applied phosphorus hardly exceeds 15 to 20 percent because of soil fixation, and tested ways to use the fixed phosphorus (IJAgS, 2021).

In that trial, at ICAR-IARI New Delhi in 2017-18, a treatment of DAP plus rock phosphate plus phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) gave 20.7 percent higher rice grain yield than DAP alone in the residual (second) crop, and the authors say it can reduce fertilizer P consumption by 50 percent. It is one rice trial on one soil type, so treat it as a direction, not a rule. A farmer should keep the soil-test dose unless the local KVK advises a cut.

• PSB biofertilizer: the Katyayani phosphate solubilizing bacteria bio fertilizer page describes a liquid PSB (5 x 10^8 CFU) for seed, root and soil treatment. Follow its label; its yield claims are the maker's and were not independently checked.
• PROM (phosphate-rich organic manure): the PROM organic manure page describes composted fine rock phosphate with phosphate-solubilizing and nitrogen-fixing bacteria; it does not state a P2O5 percentage, so it cannot be counted as a DAP replacement bag-for-bag.
• Rock phosphate: the premium rock phosphate fertilizer page gives pot-sized doses and no P2O5 figure, so it is a home-garden input, not a field substitute.
• More options: see the bio fertilizers collection, and our PSB, Rhizobium and KMB guide for chana and soil pH and nutrient lock post.

The ICAR e-course says urea should not be mixed with ammonium calcium nitrate, KCl, SSP or TSP, but can be mixed with most others if the mixture is applied immediately and never stored (ICAR e-course). So urea with DAP: apply at once. Urea with SSP or TSP: spread separately.

The e-course also says fertilizer stores must be dry: bags should not take in moisture from leaky roofs or damp walls and floors. In practice, buy what you can spread within days, and keep bags off the floor.

Place it in the root zone at sowing. TNAU says phosphatic fertilizer hardly moves in the soil and so it is placed in the root zone (TNAU). The ICAR wheat page applies the full phosphorus dose at sowing (ICAR). Surface broadcasting after the crop is up reaches roots poorly.

• Soil test first: a high-phosphorus soil can take a lower dose; a low one needs the full recommendation. See the soil health card guide.
• Apply at sowing: drill or place the fertilizer near the seed row where equipment allows, without letting fertilizer touch the seed.
• Fixation is the reason: use efficiency of directly applied P hardly exceeds 15 to 20 percent (ICAR-IARI paper), so wasting even part of it costs real money.
• Check pH: high or low soil pH locks nutrients; our nutrient lock guide explains how.

There is no single best swap. The sources checked here support two clear cases: wheat in the North Western Plains, where ICAR gives the dose as DAP, and mustard, where sulphur matters. For other crops, follow the state package of practices or ask your KVK for the crop and zone.

For crop-wise detail see our mustard farming guide, chickpea farming guide, potato farming cost guide, onion farming guide and garlic farming guide.

Do not compare price per bag. Divide the MRP printed on the bag by the kilograms of P2O5 in it. For a 50 kg bag, that is MRP divided by 23 for DAP or TSP, 16 for NPK 12-32-16, 13 for NPK 10-26-26, 10 for NPS 20-20-0-13 and 8 for SSP. Then credit the extra nutrients.

Charging more than the printed MRP is an offence punishable under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, the PIB explainer states (PIB). If a dealer ties fertilizer to other purchases or charges above MRP, keep the bill and tell the district agriculture officer. A late sowing often costs more yield than the price difference between phosphate sources, so do not wait for a particular brand.

The Department of Fertilizers tracks subsidised fertilizer through the online Integrated Fertilizer Management System (iFMS), which includes dealer search and stock availability tracking, according to the PIB explainer (PIB). Ask your district agriculture office how stock is shown locally.

• 28 grades: the Government now subsidises 28 P and K fertilizer grades, including SSP, TSP, MAP and several NPKs, so alternatives are formal products, not substitutes of doubtful quality.
• Rates change by season: NBS rates in the PIB document apply from 1 October 2025 to 31 March 2026 (Rabi 2025-26). Always check the current season's notice; this post does not print subsidy figures.
• Fake or loose stock: read our guide to spotting fake pesticides and fertilisers before buying unlabelled bags.

The common mistakes are forgetting nitrogen, ignoring the potash or sulphur the new product adds, buying by bag count instead of nutrient content, pre-mixing urea with SSP, and broadcasting phosphorus late. Each is easy to avoid if you work from the grade on the bag.

• Swapping bag for bag. One bag of SSP has about 8 kg P2O5, not 23.
• Skipping the nitrogen correction after SSP or TSP.
• Counting only the P in an NPK and applying separate MOP on top.
• Mixing urea with SSP or TSP in the bag and storing it.
• Treating Nano DAP as a full substitute for soil phosphorus.
• Waiting for DAP and sowing late.
• Using water-soluble NPK meant for drip as if it were a basal fertilizer.

Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) or district agriculture officer when your soil test shows very low or very high phosphorus, when you grow a crop with no dose in this post, when soil pH is outside the normal range, or when you plan to cut the soil dose on the strength of sprays or biofertilizers.

Bring your Soil Health Card, the crop and variety, the sowing date and the grades on the bags. With those four things an adviser can convert any DAP dose to the products available to you in minutes.

Conclusion

When DAP is short, do not wait and sow late. Work out the 23 kg of P2O5 and 9 kg of nitrogen in one DAP bag, pick the alternative that fits your crop and soil test, and correct the nitrogen, potash or sulphur it changes. Apply the phosphorus at sowing in the root zone, keep urea and SSP apart, and use Nano DAP only as a helper to a reduced soil dose. Check the MRP on the bag, and take your Soil Health Card to the KVK if you are unsure.