Effect of different combinations of inorganic nutrients and farmyard manure on the sustainability of a rice-wheat-mungbean cropping system

Abstract

A field study conducted for two years (1995-96 and 1996-97) at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi on a sandy clay loam soil showed that the application of NP increased the total grain production of a rice-wheat-mungbean cropping system by 0.5-0.6 t ha -1 , NK by 0.3-0.5 t ha -1 and NPK by 0.8-0.9 t ha -1 compared to N alone, indicating that the balanced use of primary nutrients was more advantageous than their imbalanced application. The application of farmyard manure (FYM) along with NPK further increased the total productivity of the rice-wheat-mungbean cropping system by 0.3-0.6 t ha -1 , the organic C by 0.13%, the available N by 10.7 kg ha -1 , the available P by 4.7 kg ha -1 and the available K by 15 kg ha -1 compared to NPK after two crop cycles of the system. The results of the present study thus indicate that integrated nutrient management involving FYM and NPK fertilizers is a must for the sustainability of a cropping system.