Impact of different Tillage practices on Soil Organic Carbon and Nitrogen Pool in Rice-Wheat Cropping System

Abstract

Conventional agriculture can result in loss of organic matter (OM), resulting in degradation of cultivated soil. A study was conducted to assess the impact of different tillage treatments in rice and wheat cropping system on soil organic carbon and nitrogen pool. The experiment was carried out in split plot design with four main plot treatments viz. P (direct dry seeding by zero till drill), P 1 2 (direct seeding of sprouted rice in puddle condition), P (hand transplanting) and P (transplanting 3 4 by self-propelled rice trans planter) while the sub plot treatment (for wheat) included T 1 (conventional sowing), T (bed planting), T (strip till drilling) and T (zero till drilling). Significant 2 3 4 variations in SOC and soil nitrogen pool were observed in wheat tillage treatments for D (0-10cm) 1 soil depth. The T and T treatments had significantly higher values of SOC pool as compared to T . 4 3 1 Similar trend was also observed for soil nitrogen. Rice tillage treatments did not have any significant impact on SOC and soil nitrogen at D or subsequent depths. The summarized depths 0- 1 30 and 0-60 cm did not show any impact of the tillage treatments on SOC or soil nitrogen pools.In rice tillage treatments, SOC pool ranged from 26.06 Mg/m3 (P ) to 27.61 Mg/m3 (P ) while the range 4 1 for wheat tillage treatment was 26.30 Mg/m3 (T ) to 26.75 Mg/m3 (T ). At D depth soil N pool was 4 1 1 found to be statistically higher for T and T tillage treatments in wheat, whereas T tillage treatment 3 4 2 was found to be statistically at par with T . This is because of the presence of higher amount of SOM 1 in T and T . A high and positive correlation between SOC and total N was observed because most of 3 4 the nitrogen present in soil is in organic form.