Effects of Crop Rotation on Maize Soil Fertility in Alluvial Soil

Abstract

Crop rotation is a method for crop production diversification and soil fertility improvement. However, the effectiveness of crop rotation in improving soil quality may vary depending on soil types, climate, crops, and farming practices. This study was conducted to evaluate the influence of crop rotation on alluvial soil quality properties. Four crop rotation systems have been investigated, namely, maize-maize-maize (MMM), maize-mungbean-maize (MBM), maize-sesame-maize (MSM), and mungbean-chili-maize (BCM). The research was laid out in randomized complete block design with four replicates, and each plot area was 36 m2. The quality of the topsoil layer (0-20 cm) was assessed. Seven soil physicochemical parameters were selected: soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total nitrogen (Ntot), available phosphorus (Pavail), soil organic carbon (SOC), bulk density (BD), and cation exchange capacity (CEC). They were measured after the completion of the 1-year experiment. The results indicated that crop rotation did not affect the soil pH, EC, BD, and CEC but improved the SOC, Ntot, and Pavail. The SOC and Ntot contents in the MBM and BCM crop rotation systems were higher than those in MSM. Our results show that crop rotation systems improved maize soil fertility and are a beneficial option for a sustainable agriculture in alluvial soil.