Combination Of Farmyard Manure Research Articles

Effect of Biochar Application on Performance of Rice in a Vertisol of Central India

The present investigation was carried out at the Research Farm of ICAR- Indian Institute of Soil Science (ICAR-IISS), Bhopal (M.P.) during the Kharif seasons of 2021 and 2022 and performance of rice crop under the application of biochar in combinations of farm yard manure and chemical fertilizers was studied. The field experiment consisted of 12 treatments involving three doses of biochar (0, 4 and 8 tha-1) with and without fertilizer (0 or 120:60:40 kg N, P2O5, K2O ha-1) and manure (0, 5 t ha-1) in four replications. Rice (cv. PB 1121) was grown consecutively for two years and various parameters viz., plant height, green seeker, number of tillers, earhead length, grains per earhead, seed index and grain yield, straw yield, total biomass and harvest index were evaluated. The results revealed that, among the parameters studied except harvest index, all parameters were influenced positively upon biochar application.

The Effect of Long-Term Farmyard Manure and Mineral Fertilizer Application on the Increase in Soil Organic Matter Quality of Cambisols

Soil organic matter (SOM) quantity and quality are important factors that significantly influence soil fertility. SOM quality indicators change throughout time. In this study, long—term field experiments (22–50 years in duration) on a Cambisol at four sites in the Czech Republic were selected. Seven crops were successively rotated in the sequence: clover, winter wheat, early potato, winter wheat, spring barley, potato, and spring barley with interseeded clover. Five treatments were investigated, including an unfertilized treatment, farmyard manure, and various combinations of farmyard manure and mineral fertilization. A total of 40 t ha−1 of farmyard manure was applied to the early potato and potato crops. Combining organic and mineral fertilizers increased soil organic matter quality and quantity over unfertilized or organic only treatment. The highest intensity of mineral fertilizers in our trials elevated the mean of carbon sequestration efficiency to 45.6% in comparison to pure manure treatment which reached only 22.9% efficiency. A strong correlation was established between the total glomalin content and soil organic matter carbon, fulvic acid, humic acid, carbon hot water extraction, potential wettability index (PWI), and aromaticity index. The PWI was also strongly correlated with these indicators. The E4/E6 ratio indicator was shown to be a much less sensitive method for reflecting the change in soil organic matter quality.

Long-Term Application of Manure and Different Mineral Fertilization in Relation to the Soil Organic Matter Quality of Luvisols

Long-term field experiments were conducted on luvisol at five sites in the Czech Republic (42–48-year duration). The average total organic carbon content in the soil varied between 9.0 and 14.0 g kg−1. In these trials, seven crops were rotated in the following order: clover, winter wheat, early potato, winter wheat, spring barley, potato, and spring barley with interseeded clover. Five treatments were studied: unfertilized treatment (Con), farmyard manure (F), and combinations of farmyard manure with three mineral fertilization levels (F+M1, F+M2, F+M3). Plant residues were not incorporated into the soil. An amount of 40 t ha−1 of farmyard manure fresh matter was applied twice during crop rotation. Intensive mineral fertilizer (F+M3) increased the average value of the carbon sequestration efficiency (CSE) by 12.9% and up to 26.3%. Combining organic and mineral fertilizers at moderate and higher intensities increased the soil organic matter quantity and quality compared to the unfertilized or manure treatment. Data on the glomalin content can be used to study the organic matter quality. We determined a strong correlation between the total glomalin content and the soil organic matter carbon, fulvic acid content, humic acid content, extractable carbon content, and dissolved organic carbon content, as well as the potential wettability index and aromaticity index.

Organic Amendments Improved the Productivity and Bio-Fortification of Fine Rice by Improving Physiological Responses and Nutrient Homeostasis under Salinity Stress.

Salinity stress (SS) is major abiotic stress that is seriously limiting crop production across the globe. The application of organic amendments (OA) mitigate the effects of salinity and improves soil health and crop production on a sustainable basis. However, limited studies are conducted to determine the impact of farmyard manure (FYM) and press mud (PM) on the performance of rice crop. Therefore, we performed this study to determine the impacts of FYM and PM on the growth, physiological and biochemical attributes, yield, and grain bio-fortification of rice crop under SS. The experiment was comprised of SS levels; control, 6 and 12 dS m-1 SS and OA; control, FYM: 5%, press mud 5% and combination of FYM (5%) + PM (5%). Soil salinity imposed deleterious impacts on the growth, yield, and grain quality of rice, however, OA appreciably offset the deleterious impacts of SS and improved the growth, yield, and grain bio-fortification of rice crop. The combined application of FYM + PM improved the growth and yield of rice through an increase in chlorophyll contents, leaf water contents, anti-oxidant activities (ascorbate peroxidise: APX; catalase: CAT, peroxidise: POD and ascorbic acid: AsA), K+ accumulation and decrease in Na+/K+ ratio, electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), Na+ accumulation. Moreover, the combined application of FYM + PM significantly improved the grain protein (5.84% and 12.90%), grain iron (40.95% and 42.37%), and grain zinc contents (36.81% and 50.93%) at 6 and 12 dS m-1 SS. Therefore, this study suggested that the application of FYM and PM augmented the growth, yield, physiology, biochemistry, and grain bio-fortification of rice and proved to be a good practice for better rice production in salt-affected soils.

Integrated use of phosphorus fertilizer and farmyard manure improves wheat productivity by improving soil quality and P availability in calcareous soil under subhumid conditions.

Low soil fertility and high fertilizer costs are constraints to wheat production, which may be resolved with integrating fertilizer phosphorus (P) and farm-yard manure (FYM). Study objectives were to evaluate P source impacts on soil, P efficiency, and wheat growth in a calcareous soil. Treatments included P fertilizer (0, 17, 26, or 39 kg P ha-1) and/or FYM (0 or 10 T ha-1) in a: 1) incubation experiment and 2) wheat (Triticum aestivum spp.) field experiment. Soil organic matter increased (30-72%) linearly for both fertilizer and FYM, whereas pH decreased (0.1-0.3 units) with fertilizer only. Addition of fertilizer and FYM increased plant available P (AB-DTPA extractable soil P) an average of 0.5 mg P kg-1 soil week-1 with incubation. The initial increase was 1-9 mg P kg-1, with further increase after 84 d of ~3-17 mg P kg-1. There was also a significant increase of available P in the soil supporting plants in the field study, although the magnitude of the increase was only 2 mg kg-1 at most for the highest fertilizer rate + FYM. Grain (66 to 119%) and straw (25-65%) yield increased significantly, peaking at 26 kg P ha-1 + FYM. The P Absorption Efficiency (PAE), P Balance (PB), and P Uptake (PU) increased linearly with P rate, with the highest levels at the highest P rate. The P Use Efficiency (PUE) was highest at the lowest rates of P, with general decreases with increasing P, although not consistently. Principal component analysis revealed that 94.34 % of the total variance was accounted for with PC1 (84.04 %) and PC2 (10.33 %), with grain straw yield significantly correlated to SOM, PU, and PAE. Regression analysis showed highly significant correlation of PB with P-input (R2= 0.99), plant available P (R2= 0.85), and PU (R2= 0.80). The combination of FYM at the rate of 10 T ha-1 and fertilizer P at 26 kg P ha-1 was found as the optimum dose that significantly increased yield. It is concluded that FYM concoction with fertilizer-P not only improved SOM and residual soil P, but also enhanced wheat yields with reasonable P efficiency.

Long-Term Application of Organic Fertilizers in Relation to Soil Organic Matter Quality

The quality of soil organic matter plays a central role in soil structure, carbon sequestration and pollutant immobilization. The effect of 16–23 years of fertilization on the quality of soil organic matter was studied in field experiments at ten experimental sites in Central Europe. Soil samples were collected in 2016 after barley harvest. Six crops were rotated: pea–canola–winter wheat–spring barley–beet/potato–spring barley. Six treatments were studied: unfertilized control, mineral fertilization (NPK), farmyard manure, farmyard manure + NPK, straw incorporation, and straw incorporation + NPK. Although carbon input did not significantly correlate with any soil organic carbon fractions, the C/N ratio of applied organic fertilizers significantly correlated with the content of humic acid carbon (C-HA), the C-HA/C-FA ratio and humification index in soil. The combination of farmyard manure + NPK resulted in a higher humic acid carbon content in soil, humification rate, and humification index compared to the application of NPK, straw return, and the combination of straw return + NPK. Although straw return led to a lower E4/E6 (A400/A600, Q4/6) ratio compared to farmyard manure application, the C-HA/C-FA ratio was unchanged among these treatments. The application of farmyard manure with and without the addition of NPK led to higher values of carbon sequestration efficiency in soil compared to the straw return with and without the addition of NPK.

EFFECT OF DIFFERENT NURSERY POTTING MEDIA ON THE GERMINATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF MANGO (MANGIFERA INDICA L.) SEEDLINGS

Mango is a valuable income crop that significantly contributes to the food security. However, there was a severe shortage of information on the growth, production and developmental behaviour of different rootstock of mango in different growing media combinations. Accordingly, a study was conducted in 2019–20 at the Mango Research Institute in Multan, Pakistan, used a net house to test the efficacy of several pot media for nursery with different compositions on the seedling growth and development of plants. Mango seeds were planted in potting soil, top soil, sawdust, Farmyard manure, and FYM/sawdust (PM5) (PM4). Three independent trials were conducted using a randomised complete block design. Parameters of germination and development were measured and studied mathematically. The results showed that all of the germination and growth characteristics, except for shoot number, had a substantial influence on the outcome of the experiment. However, germination rate, stem diameter, shoot number, root number, and days to germination were not impacted by the potting medium. Except forstem diameter, shoot number, and internode length, the interaction effect of growth medium had a substantial impact on all other metrics. Mango producers would benefit from using most recommended pot media with the combination of farmyard manure: soil: sand with the ratio of 3:2:1 to increase production.

Immobilization of chromium bioavailability through application of organic waste to Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) under chromium-contaminated Indian soils.

Industrialization results in production of large volume of wastewaters, and disposing of them become a serious problem. The wastewaters may have range of heavy metals, which have an impact on soil and plant health. The objective was to evaluate the influence of farm yard manure (FYM) and pressmud (PM) applications on Indian mustard growth and chromium (Cr) uptake in tannery effluent irrigated Cr-contaminated soil. Soil was collected from the tannery effluent irrigated fields (chromium contaminated) of Shekhpura village of Kanpur, India. A pot culture experiment was carried out by growing Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) var. RH 749 on the Cr-contaminated soil with application of different levels and combinations of FYM and PM (at 0, 2.5, and 5gkg-1 each). Biomass yield, Cr uptake, bioconcentration factor (BCF), transfer factor (TF), transfer efficiency (TE), and Cr removal indices were examined. Higher doses of FYM and PM resulted in reduction of Cr concentrations in shoot (6.60 to 2.50µgg-1) and root (27.27 to 9.43µgg-1); and absorption in plant tissues and had improved total dry matter yield (14.56 to 30.94g pot-1). The use of FYM and PM had a substantial (p ≤ 0.05) impact on phytoremediation parameters like BCF (0.128 to 0.045), TE (59.61 to 64.51%), and Cr removal (0.65 to 0.51%). Combined application of FYM (5gkg-1) and PM (5gkg-1) had enhanced the dry matter yield of shoot (12.51 to 26.40g pot-1) and root (2.05 to 4.54g pot-1) and reduced the Cr uptake (138.54 to 108.79mg pot-1) than the individual amendment addition of FYM (138.52 to 135.89mg pot-1) and PM (126.02 to 130.52mg pot-1). Combined application of FYM (5gkg-1) and PM (5gkg-1) could be beneficial for remediation of Cr-contaminated areas for cultivation of crops.

Effect of Farm Yard Manure and Gypsum on Yield of Sorghum and Soil Properties in Saline Sodic Soils of Raya Alamata District, Northern Ethiopia

A field experiment was conducted in Raya Alamata district, northern Ethiopia to investigate the effect of sole and combined application of FYM and gypsum on saline sodic soils on yield of sorghum by supplying different rates of farmyard manure (FYM) and/or gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O) application alone or both mixtures using a randomized complete block design for three consecutive years. The treatment used included: control, three FYM rates alone, two gypsum rates alone and six combination of FYM and gypsum with a total of 12 treatments. Each treatment was replicated three times to yield 36 experimental plots. The result indicated that, there was no significant difference between treatments in the first and second year of cropping season. However, the effect the amendments were shown in the third year of the cropping season, and hence, the treatment effect of the combined application of FYM and gypsum were more effective and improved soil properties and increased the yield of sorghum. In addition, compared to all other treatments, the combined application of 4 tha -1 FYM + 100% GR followed by 8 tha -1 FYM + 100% GR resulted the highest grain yield of sorghum and reduced the sodium induced hazards than all other treatments. Hence, it is recommended as the best treatment in the improvement of saline sodic soils of the district. Keywords: Gypsum; Farmyard manure; Sorghum; Soil amendment; Soil properties DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/13-11-01 Publication date: June 30 th 2022

Impacts of long-term rice-based organic farming on fractions and forms of soil organic carbon and nitrogen in the Indo-Gangetic Plain

The present study aimed to appraise the long-term effects of organics, crop residues, and biofertilisers on soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools for sustainable crop production and changes in soil quality under long-term organic farming practices. Hence, we studied the soil C and N pools and their sensitivity indices as influenced by a different combination of farmyard manure, vermicompost, biofertilisers, and crop residue of rice, wheat, and mungbean, under long-term rice–wheat–mungbean (RWMCS) and rice–wheat (RWCS) cropping systems in an Inceptisol of India. Total soil organic C increased by 78% and 104% for RWMCS and 94% and 123% for RWCS with FYM + crop residue + biofertilisers and vermicompost + crop residue + biofertilisers, respectively over unfertilised control plots of RWMCS. The highly labile C and microbial biomass C were highly sensitive to management practices compared to total organic C and less labile C fractions. Integrated application of manures and crop residues in FYM + crop residue and VC + crop residue resulted in significantly higher total N, labile N, and mineral N for both cropping systems. Higher values of C and N management indexes were observed with FYM + crop residue + biofertilisers and VC + crop residue + biofertiliser in both cropping systems than other treatments. Integrated use of organic sources had higher N fractions than the unfertilised control plots, indicating that long-term conjoint use of organics, crop residues, and biofertilisers could sustain crop production and soil quality.

Effect of Application of Farmyard Manure and Gypsum on Saline Sodic Soils of Raya Alamata District, Northern Ethiopia

A field experiment was conducted in Raya Alamata district, northern Ethiopia to investigate the effect of sole and combined application of FYM and gypsum on saline sodic soils on yield of sorghum by supplying different rates of farmyard manure (FYM) and/or gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O) application alone or both mixtures using a randomized complete block design for three consecutive years. The treatment used included: control, three FYM rates alone, two gypsum rates alone and six combination of FYM and gypsum with a total of 12 treatments. Each treatment was replicated three times to yield 36 experimental plots. The result indicated that, there was no significant difference between treatments in the first and second year of cropping season. However, the effect the amendments were shown in the third year of the cropping season, and hence, the treatment effect of the combined application of FYM and gypsum were more effective and improved soil properties and increased the yield of sorghum. In addition, compared to all other treatments, the combined application of 4 tha -1 FYM + 100% GR followed by 8 tha -1 FYM + 100% GR resulted the highest grain yield of sorghum and reduced the sodium induced hazards than all other treatments. Hence, it is recommended as the best treatment in the improvement of saline sodic soils of the district. Keywords: Gypsum; Farmyard manure; Sorghum; Soil amendment; Soil properties DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/12-22-02 Publication date: November 30 th 2021

Inoculation of nitrogen fixing bacteria in conjugation with integrated nitrogen sources induced changes in phenology, growth, nitrogen assimilation and productivity of wheat crop

Numerous strains of plant growth-promoting bacteria are used as biofertilizers to minimize the utilization of synthetic fertilizers, improve nutrients use efficiency, crop productivity and to reduce environmental pollution. This study was planned with the aims to assess the effects of seeds inoculation with different strains of nitrogen (N)-fixing bacteria in conjugation with N fertilization from various combinations of farmyard manure (FYM) and urea on days to anthesis, days to physiological maturity, leaf area duration (LAD), crop growth rate (CGR), net assimilation rate (NAR), physiological N use efficiency (PNUE), apparent N re-translocation (ANR), relative N accumulation rate (RN), N harvest index (NHI) and grain yield of wheat crop under the environmental conditions of Northern Pakistan. The experiment was carried out in RCB design with a factorial arrangement of treatments. Wheat seeds were inoculated with N-fixing bacterial strains viz. Azotobacter sp., Azospirillum ER-20, Rhizobium SK-8 and Pseudomonas K-1, and N were applied from three different combinations of FYM and urea i.e. 100% urea, 75% FYM and 25% urea, and 50% FYM and 50% urea. The results showed that days to anthesis (122), days to physiological maturity (162), CGR (10.31 g. m −1 . day −1 ), grain yield (4016 kg ha −1 ), PNUE (43.1 kg grain kg −1 N uptake), ANR (9.1 g kg −1 DM), NHI (79.4) and RN (0.1046 day −1 ) were increased (P < 0.05) by Azospirillum Er-20 and Pseudomonas K-1 inoculation, while maximum (P < 0.05) LAD (76 m. day −1 ) and NAR (0.19 g. m −1 . day −1 ) were attained on Rhizobium SK-8 inoculation with N from 50% FYM and 50% urea, as compared to control. The grain yield revealed a significant (P < 0.001) correlation with CGR (0.76), NHI (0.72) and PNUE (0.68). The regression analysis exhibited a good estimate for grain yield (R 2 = 0.83) and CGR (R 2 = 0.57) in response to soil mineral N content. In conclusion, bacterial inoculation in conjugation with an equal ratio of N from the integrated sources improved the phenological and growth traits as well as N assimilation and grain yield of wheat crop. Therefore, it is suggested to plan long-term experiments to explore the potential of N-fixing bacteria in conjugation with integrated N-sources under different agronomic conditions for attaining sustainability in the wheat cropping systems.

Influence of INM on sugarcane productivity and soil fertility under Indo-Gangetic plain

A field experiment was conducted during 2016-17 at Punjab Agricultural University, Regional Research Station, Kapurthala, Punjab, India with nine treatments comprising various combinations of farmyard manure (FYM), biofertilizers and different levels of chemical fertilizers in a randomized block design (RBD). Our results demonstrated that application of FYM @ 20 t/ha with soil test based application of nutrients recorded significantly highest number of millable canes of 134.3 thousand/ha and number of shoots (142.2 thousand/ha) at 150 DAS. However, cane length, cane diameter, single cane weight, cane yield and sugar yield were statistically at par with either application of 100% RDF plus FYM @ 20 t/ha or with the soil test based application of nutrients along with biofertilizers and 10 t/ha of FYM. With 20 t/ha of FYM and chemical fertilizer, the build-up of organic carbon content, N, P, K, Zn, Fe, Cu and Mn were significantly higher than the treatments containing either 10 t of FYM/ha or no manure. Application of FYM or biofertilizers or both along with RDF or STB nutrient application resulted in 12.8 to 17.9% higher cane yield, resulting in additional net returns of ₹ 20592 to 45230/ha as compared to recommended dose of inorganic fertilizers alone. Our study showed that higher cane and sugar productivity and economic returns can be achieved by applying either 20 t of FYM or 10 t of FYM along with bio-fertilizers.

Performance of papaya variety ‘Surya’ under fertigation and foliar nutrition

Effects of fertigation and foliar nutrition with micronutrients on papaya flowering, yield and fruit quality parameters were studied during the period 2018 – 2020 at Instructional Farm, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. A field experiment consists of 14 treatments replicated thrice was laid out based on randomized block design. A combination of four fertigation doses of 75 %, 100 %, 125 % and 150 % Recommended Dose of Fertilizers (RDF) of N (304.89, 406.52, 508.15 and 609.78 gm urea plant-1 year-1 respectively based on soil test data in 76 fertigation) and K (426.25, 568.33, 710.42 and 852.50 gm muriate of potash plant?¹ year?¹ respectively based on soil test data in 76 fertigation) and three foliar sprays (1.0 % 19:19:19 at bimonthly interval starting from 4 MAP (Month After Planting) to 16 MAP, 0.5% ZnSO4 + 0.3% borax at 4th, 8th, 12th and 16th MAP and water spray at bimonthly interval starting from 4 MAP to 16 MAP) where compared with soil application of recommended dose of NPK (187:170:341 g NPK plant-1 year-1 based on soil test data) (control 1) and 187:170:341 g NPK plant-1 year-1 based on soil test data as organic manures as combination of FYM (Farm Yard Manure), poultry manure and vermicompost in the ratio of 2:1:1 (control 2). Application of 100 % recommended dose of N and K through fertigation at weekly interval from one MAP to 20 MAP and foliar sprays of 0.5 % ZnSO4 and 0.3 % borax at 4th, 8th, 12th and 16th MAP (T5) initiated earliness in flowering (142.67 days) and harvest (275.00 days). However, plants receiving 100 % recommended dose of N and K through fertigation at weekly interval from one MAP to 20 MAP with foliar sprays of 1% 19:19:19 at bimonthly interval starting from 4 MAP to 16 MAP (T4) significantly improved the fruit weight, number of fruits per plant and total yield per plant in papaya variety ‘Surya’ and it was on par with T5. Fruit quality parameters namely TSS (Total Soluble Solids), ascorbic acid and total sugars were found significantly highest in T5 and lowest titratable acidity was also recorded in T5. Hence, treatment T5 which is found superior in initiating early harvest, with higher yield and good quality characters in papaya variety ‘Surya’ can be recommended to farmers.

Microbiome change of agricultural soil under organic farming practices

The agricultural practices are known to affect the soil ecosystem, which ultimately influences the environment and human health. In this perspective, soil nutrient status and microbial diversity of ten year’s long organically managed soil were compared with its conventional counterpart at Pantnagar, India (29.03° N/79.46° E). A combination of farmyard manure and vermicompost was used under an organic farming system along with a mixture of neem oil and cow urine as a biopesticide. Organic amendments have improved carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus content in the soil. Moreover, the copy numbers of diazotrophs and phosphate solubilizers were also found to increase under the organic system which can be evident from their dominance in the organic soil metagenome. Further, several clinically important bacterial genera viz. Corynebacterium, Mycobacterium, Enterococcus, Staphylococcus, Ruminococcus, Prevotella, Coxiella, Neisseria, Haemophilus, Actinobacillus, Treponema, and Mycoplasma were observed only in conventional soil and were completely absent in organic soil sample. These findings revealed that besides enhancing soil fertility and microbial diversity, organic practices have an impact on the soil-borne pathogens and, in general, on the soil microbiome. It will impart value addition to the organic products and lead us towards healthy agricultural practices and products.

Effect of different combinations of Farm Yard Manure and Bio-fertilizers on growth, yield and quality of Chinese cabbage under high altitude climatic conditions of Gurez-J&amp;K

A field experiment was conducted at experimental farm of Mountain Agriculture Research & Extension Station Gurez, SKUAST-K (J&K) with six treatments (control, 5,10,15,20 and 25 tonnes F.Y.M/ha along with bio-fertilizers azotobactor+ Phosphate solublizing bacteria) during kharif -2019 to find out the optimum combination of F.Y.M and bio-fertilizers for improving growth, yield and quality attributes of Chinese cabbage under high altitude rain fed climatic conditions. Among the treatments studied, significantly highest plant height (33.33 cm), No. of wrapper leaves/plant (18.00), plant spread /plant (111.66 cm), head weight/plant (553.33 g), yield /plot(15.49 kg), yield /hectare 34.42 tonnes, moisture content 98.00% and Vit. C 28 mg/100g were noticed with the application of FYM@25tonnes/hectare along with azotobactor and phosphate solublizing bacteria.

Conservation of Picrorrhiza kurroa with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: An endangered and highly economic medicinal herb of Himalaya

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are prevalent from arctic to tropics in most agricultural and natural ecosystems, play an important role in the conservation of some valuable medicinal plants. Picrorrhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth is distinguished endangered medicinal herb, naturally distributed in alpine and sub-alpine region of Himalayas. In present investigation, spores density of AM fungi along root colonization were studied from the rhizospheric soils of P. kurroa collected from different locations of Himachal Pradesh. Highest spore number (60) was found in the soil samples collected from forest nursery Rajkunda while AM root space colonization was highest in the samples of forest nursery Devidhar. The biodiversity of AM fungi was studied; the number of AM species was also highest in these two forest nursery samples. Funneliformis mosseae and Acaulospora laevis were dominant species associated with P. kurroa. After mass multiplication of F. mosseae and A. laevis, bioinoculation experiment was performed on Picrorrhiza kurroa seedlings for the biomass production and nutrient uptake analysis. Seedlings were inoculated with single and in combined mycorrhizal treatments with different combinations of farmyard manure and vermicompost. All inoculated seedlings showed significant biomass production than control seedlings. Root length (8.7cm), fresh and dry biomass was observed to be maximum in the plants inoculated with F. mosseae and vermicompost @ 10t ha−1 while percent AM root colonization was highest (60.33) in the roots of plants inoculated with F. mosseae plus A. laevis with vermicompost @10t ha−1. The phosphorus content was more in seedlings inoculated with consortium of two native AM fungi followed by F. mosseae and A. laevis, separately. In overall, consortium of native AM fungi i.e. F. mosseae and A. laevis was found to be best for the conservation of the P. kurroa in the presence of vermicompost and FYM, respectively.

Effect of zinc sulphate and biofertilizers on yield attributes and yield of okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench

The experiment was laid out in a farmer's field at Keela Thanneerpalli village, Kulithalai block, Karur district, Tamil Nadu during the year 2018. The treatments comprised different combinations of farm yard manure (FYM), recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF), zinc sulphate (ZnSO4), zinc solubilizing bacteria (ZSB) and vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM). The results revealed that the maximum values for the yield and its attributes viz., number of fruits/plant (16.95 and 16.67), fruit length (11.96 and 11.90 cm), fruit grith (1.71 and 1.68 cm), single fruit weight (16.65 and 16.24 g), fruit yield (270.90 and 267.40 g/plant) and fruit yield/plot (26.41 and 25.40 kg) during first and second season, respectively) were recorded in the plots which received the application of FYM + RDF + ZSB + VAM + 40 kg ZnSO4/ha. This treatment was closely followed by the treatment combination FYM+RDF+ZSB+VAM+30 kg ZnSO4/ha and found to be on par with the best treatment.

Effect of integrated nitrogen management on growth, yield and yield attributing characters of wheat (Triticumaestlvum L.) in salt affected soil

The present field studies investigated the effect of integrated use of inorganic N and organic sources (Farm Yard Manure, press mud and water hyacinth) on wheat (Tritium aestium L.) crop in salt affected soils. The experiment was carriedout on silt loam soil at instructional form of Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology,Kumarganj, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh. The result showed that maximum plant height, spikes m-2, spike length, grains per spike, test weight, grain and straw yield ofwheat recorded in treatment T7 (U-N60+PM-N60) whereas, the values of harvest index were recorded in the treatment T4 U-N60+ FYM-N60) during both the years. However, combinations of Farm Yard Manure and water hyacinth with chemical fertilizers were at par at identical ratio.

Soil organic carbon sequestration and mitigation potential in a rice cropland in Bangladesh – a modelling approach

An increase in the storage of carbon (C) in soil by changing management practices can help to mitigate climate change and increase soil quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the best management options for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. An ecosystem model DayCent was tested for two rice (Oryza sativa L.) experimental sites in Bangladesh. The sites are under different management practices and we first tested the models ability to simulate SOC turnover, and then estimated the potential for SOC sequestration by comparing change in SOC for each management scenario with baseline management (current farmers’ practices) including conventional tillage, 5% residue incorporation and nitrogen (N) fertilizer. Predicted yield was also compared at both sites to ensure that yield was not compromised by mitigation measures. A control treatment was tested at both sites. At site 1, two other treatments of mineral N fertilizer, and combination of farmyard manure (FYM) and N were tested in a double rice based crop rotation. At site 2, a treatment receiving cowdung (CD) application, and a combination of CD and N were tested in a wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-rice based crop rotation. The DayCent model was able to simulate SOC increase from the double rice test sites under unfertilized conditions, considering additional N and C sources in the simulations. Assuming N fertilizer (180 kg N ha−1 yr−1) application for site 1, and CD application (25 t ha−1 yr−1) for site 2, respectively, as the baseline, four single, and one integrated, scenarios were implemented in the model to predict SOC and yield at both sites. Two additional scenarios with alternate wet and drying (AWD) as a single treatment, and as part of an integrated approach, were also tested for their mitigation potential at site 1. The highest simulated positive impact on SOC development (60% higher than that of the baseline) was observed at site 1 when FYM was used in place of mineral N fertilizer. As there is a yield penalty associated with the use of only FYM, integrated approaches might show more promise, such as inclusion of 15% residue return, reduced tillage, less mineral N fertilizer, FYM addition, with or without AWD. This approach increases SOC by up to 23% while keeping the yield stable (nearly 3.5 t ha−1). The application of CD only as determined for baseline of site 2, gives a yield of about 1.8 t ha−1 yr−1. In contrast nearly two times more yield was obtained under the scenario associated with integrated management which also increases SOC by 30% relative to the baseline at the second site. Net GHG emissions, including nitrous oxide and methane emissions were estimated using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) tier 1 methods, and country specific emission factors (where available), suggests that the integrated management scenario can reduce the net GHG emissions from 0.58-0.82 t carbon dioxide (CO2)-eq. ha−1 yr−1 (equivalent to 0.16-0.24 t Ceq. ha−1 yr−1) at site 2, while a net reduction in GHGs of nearly 1.00 t CO2-eq. ha−1 yr−1 (equivalent to 0.27 t Ceq. ha−1 yr−1) at site 1 was only achieved if AWD was also implemented with the integrated management scenario. Future studies could attempt to model non-CO2 GHGs with a dynamic model.