Abstract
(1) Background: Arid conditions occur due to climate abnormality in the different biogeography regions of the world. The aim of this research is to investigate the stoichiometry of manure and moisture regimes on soil properties, microbial biomass C:N:P turnover, and the grain yield of mustard crops under stress in arid conditions; (2) Methods: The field experiment was carried out for 2 years at the farms of the agriculture college of SKN, Jobner (SKRAU Bikaner, Rajasthan). The effects of organic manure, moisture regimes, and saline water treatment on soil properties, such as the soil microbial biomass build-up, loss, turnover, and recycling of carbon (Cmic), nitrogen (Nmic), and phosphorus (Pmic) in the mustard crop were investigated. The twenty-seven treatments studied are described as follows: organic manures (control, FYM @ 10 t ha−1 and vermicompost @ 5 t ha−1), moisture regimes (0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 IW/CPE ratio), and saline irrigation water (control, 6, 12 dSm−1); (3) Results: Our findings indicate that vermicompost @ 5 t ha−1 significantly increases moisture retention and the available water in soil at 33 kPa and 1500 kPa. The microbial biomass build-up of Cmic increases by 43.13% over the control and 14.36% over the FYM. Similarly, the soil microbial biomass of Nmic, and Pmic also increase considerably. The SHC of the soil is enhanced by the application of farmyard fertilizer and vermicompost. The BD and pH decrease significantly, while the SHC, OC, CEC, and ECe of the soil increase significantly. The build-up, losses, and fluxes of the soil microbial biomass of Cmic, Nmic, and Pmic increase significantly, and the turnover rate decreases under vermicompost @ 5 t ha−1. A significant increase in grain yield was observed. Irrigation with a 0.8 IW/CPE moisture regime significantly decreases the pH of the SHC; (4) Conclusions: We hypothesized the interactive outcomes of the moisture regime and found that organic manure significantly influenced grain and stover yield. The treatments of quality irrigation water and the addition of organic manure are efficient enough to improve soil properties, water holding capacity, and soil microbial biomass C:N:P in stress climatic conditions.
Highlights
Plants show specific thresholds of soil accumulation to improve their performance and adapt to a given environment [1,2]
Our study indicated that the interactive outcome of a soil water regime and the application of organic manures in the form of farmyard fertilizers and vermicompost significantly influenced the mustard grain yield and stover yield
The organic treatment recorded was significantly superior to farmyard manure (FYM) and increases the pooled grain yield and stover yield by 82.30% and 83.93% over the control, respectively
Summary
Plants show specific thresholds of soil accumulation to improve their performance and adapt to a given environment [1,2]. Nutrient cycling is an essential component to sustain agricultural productivity concerning soil–microbe interaction, and the population of microbes in soil plays a key function in organic matter turnover [9,10]. Nitrogen and organic carbon are the major part of the organic content at the upper layer of soil under grazing and pasture land [14,15] Soil microorganisms and their biomass play a pivotal part in the development of the organic composition of soil and the availability of essential aggregates in the soil for agricultural purposes [16]. They are the most important components of C:N:P, responsible for the mobilization of the available nutrients to the plant, their uptake, mineralization, and microbial biomass turnover [17]. Microbes occurring in the soil serve as the flow of energy that leads to the transformation of the pool of the essential substances C:N:P, and the soil fertility depends on the rate of turnover of organic substances brought with the different activities of microbes
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