Abstract
This two-year study observed the influence of various barley-based cropping systems on soil physicochemical properties, allometric traits and biomass production of barley sown under different tillage systems. Barley was cultivated in different cropping systems (CS), i.e., fallow-barley (fallow-B), maize-barley (maize-B), cotton-barley (cotton-B), mungbean-barley (mungbean-B) and sorghum-barley (sorghum-B) under zero tillage (ZT), minimum tillage (MT), strip tillage (ST), conventional tillage (CT) and bed-sowing (BS). Interaction between different CS and tillage systems (TS) positively influenced soil bulk density (BD), total porosity, available phosphorus (P), ammonical and nitrate nitrogen (NH4-N and NO3-N), available potassium (K), allometric traits and biomass production of barley. The highest soil BD along with lower total porosity were noted in ZT leading to lesser leaf area index (LAI), leaf area duration (LAD), specific leaf area (SLA), crop growth rate (CGR) and net assimilation rate (NAR) of barley. Nonetheless, bed-sown barley produced the highest biomass due to better crop allometry and soil physical conditions. The highest postharvest soil available P, NH4-N, NO3-N, and K were recorded for zero-tilled barley, while BS followed by CT recorded the lowest nutrient contents. Barley in mungbean-B CS with BS produced the highest biomass, while the lowest biomass production was recorded for barely sown in fallow-B cropping system with ZT. In conclusion, barley sown after mungbean (mungbean-B cropping system) with BS seems a pragmatic choice for improving soil fertility and subsequently soil health.
Highlights
World population is witnessing a rapid increase and expected to reach ~9100 million, which would require 3000 million tons of grain crops’ production by 2050 [1]
Soil bulk density (BD) and total soil porosity were significantly affected by tillage systems (TS) × cropping systems (CS) interaction during both years (Table 3)
Barley sown in fallow-B cropping system with zero tillage (ZT) recorded the highest soil BD, while lower BD was recorded for barley sown in all CS with BS
Summary
World population is witnessing a rapid increase and expected to reach ~9100 million, which would require 3000 million tons of grain crops’ production by 2050 [1]. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), rice (Oryza sativa L.), maize (Zea mays L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) are regarded as main cereal crops, which provide >50% of total caloric intakes for human population [3]. Barley is a fast-growing, annual cereal, grown during winter season. It is cultivated as a cover crop to preserve soil and usually used as forage. Wheat crop could be substituted with barley as the later can withstand drought and adverse environmental conditions [4]. Barley is an important food source for African countries, while it is primarily cultivated for animal feed in Pakistan [6]. It is an important cereal crop that ranks 4th (after wheat, rice, and maize crop) by production and 5th by cultivation among cereals throughout the world
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