Pressmud Application Research Articles

Potentiality of Pressmud Application in Soil for Palm Oil Plantation Productivity

The agricultural sector in Malaysia is predominantly comprised of the oil palm and sugar refinery industries. Approximately 50% of the materials generated during palm oil and sugar production would result in organic waste that contains a high content of lignin and cellulose. Waste generated from the sugarcane industry can be used as a resource of another, bringing economic and environmental benefits. This study aims to provide useful insights into using sugarcane waste to enhance the sustainability of the agriculture industry in Malaysia, specifically palm oil plantations. It can also enhance the green knowledge in soil technology for a sustainable agriculture industry in this country. Based on the physico-chemical characteristics examined in this study, pressmud evidently emerges as a promising material with significant potential to serve as an admixture medium in soil for palm oil plantations, leading to a reduction in the application of chemical fertilizer. This waste material displayed a coarse texture, compared to the less coarse texture of the laterite soil. Its texture and surface of the object exhibited irregularities and were covered with pores. Incorporating pressmud into the soil has improved its capability to adsorb nutrients by facilitating the cation exchange process. The efficacy of the laterite soil-press mud mixture as a soil amendment in palm oil plantations can be determined through its Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), a key indicator of its ability to improve soil performance and enhance production.

Integrated application of metal tolerant P. fluorescens and press mud for conferring heavy metal tolerance to aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis)

Soil pollution due to heavy metal (HM) contamination has emerged as a global issue worldwide owing to their adverse impacts on plant growth. Bioremediation approaches employing living organisms for HM alleviation have gained considerable attention among scientific community. Biological agents such as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) offer a sustainable way to restore soil health, and their combination with different organic amendments such as press mud (PM) can serve as potential approach for immobilizing HMs in soil. We performed a pot experiment to evaluate the role of individual and combined application of press mud and PGPR strain ‘FQ6’ (identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens) in the phytoremediation of different HMs (Pb, Ni and Cd) and growth promotion of aloe vera. Combined application of FQ6 strain and PM yielded more significant outcomes in terms of all the growth and yield attributes such as leaf length (123 %), plant height (57 %), number of leaves (115 %), fresh and dry weights of gel (246 and 280 %), gel contents (96 %), root length (164 %), root diameter (220 %), no. of root tips (138 %) and root area (315 %), as compared to control. Combined application of FQ6 and PM also led to a significant improvement in different antioxidant activities i.e., CAT (129 %), SOD (48 %), APX (17 %) and POD (83 %) as compared to control. Contrastingly, mobility of these HMs was reduced under combined application of Pseudomonas strain ‘FQ6’ and PM, as there existed a considerable difference between HMs concentrations in soil and plant body. We concluded that joint application of HM-tolerant Pseudomonas FQ6 strain and PM could be an ideal option to alleviate the HM induced adverse impacts on aloe vera by immobilizing them in soil, and subsequently, improving plant growth.

Pressmud Subdue Phytoremediation Indices in Lead-Contaminated Soils: A Human Health Perspective.

Direct discharge of waste into water bodies and mining are two major sources of lead contamination in ecosystems. Water scarcity promoted the usage of industrial effluent-contaminated waters for crop production, mainly in peri-urban areas. These wastewaters may contain heavy metals and pollute crop ecosystems. These metals can reach the living cell via contaminated raw foodstuffs that grow under these conditions and cause various ill effects in metabolic activities. In this study, graded levels of pressmud (0, 2.5, 5, 10g/kg) were applied on lead imposed soil with different contamination levels (0, 100, 150, 300mg/kg) and metal dynamics was studied in spinach crop. Experimental results showed that the addition of pressmud upto 10mg/kg had decreased different phytoremediation indices in spinach crop. Whereas, increasing Pb level enhanced the indices' values, indicating accumulation of significant amount of Pb in spinach biomass. However, application of pressmud (upto 10mg/kg) reduced the bioconcentration factor (BCF) from 0.182 to 0.136, transfer factor (TF) from 0.221 to 0.191, translocation efficiency 66.11-59.34%; whereas, Pb removal enhanced from 0.063 to 0.072 over control treatment. These findings suggest that application of pressmud declined Pb concentration, the BCF and the TF in test crop which lead to less chances of adverse effect in human. These information are very useful for effectively managing wastewater irrigated agricultural crop production systems.

Impact of Paper Mill Effluent on Groundnut Root Nodulation and Soil Microorganisms for Inclusion of Compost

A Field experiment was conducted at Mondippatti village in Tiruchirappalli district of Tamil Nadu to study the effect of paper mill effluent irrigation with or without compost application on root growth, biological properties and soil nutrient status in Alfisol with groundnut as the test crop. The results revealed that the application of paper mill effluent along with compost favourably increased the soil nutrient status during the crop period. The highest concentrations of available nutrients viz., nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulphur, iron and zinc in the surface layer were 309.4 kg/ha, 14.2 kg/ha, 211.9 kg/ha, 64.9 meq/100g, 32.5 meq/100g, 38.8 mg/kg,11.4 mg/kg and 0.8 mg/kg, respectively in 75% paper mill effluent and press mud compost applications. Similarly, the use of paper mill effluent along with compost has a positive impact on soil microbial properties and highest population of bacteria was observed in 50% paper mill effluent and press mud application was 9.79 CFU (x106/g) followed by 100% paper mill effluent and press mud application (7.63 CFU (x106/g). While fungi and actinomycetes populations are higher in 75% paper mill effluent and farm yard manure application which were 5.64 CFU (x104/g) and 5.62 CFU (x104/g) respectively. The highest number of nodules was noticed in 100% paper mill effluent with press mud at 5 t/ha (45 numbers) followed by 75% paper mill effluent with press mud at 5 t/ha (42 numbers). From the study, it was concluded that the application of paper mill effluent with compost was found to be a promising source for soil fertility and root growth in groundnut.

Utilisation of press mud for organic cultivation of Andrographis paniculata Wall. ex Nees in reclaimed sodic soil

ABSTRACT Andrographis paniculata is a medicinal plant used to treat many different ailments. The biomass of A. paniculata can be used safely either as fresh plant material, after decoction, or in pharmaceutical formulations. In the present study, different application rates of press mud were evaluated for organic cultivation of A. paniculata in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of Uttar Pradesh, India. The vegetative plant growth parameters were positively affected by increased application rates of press mud up to 7.5 and 10 t ha-1. Macro- and micro-nutrient (N, P, Ca, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Mo and Ni) concentrations of the plant tissue increased with the application of press mud. Yields of active compounds in the A. paniculate, i.e. andrographolide, neo-andrographolide and wogonin, increased in line with the increased total plant biomass in response to increased press mud application rates. Soil microbial populations, total heterogeneous bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes and Azotobacter also increased with increased rates of press mud, as did soil enzyme activities, i.e. dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, urease, protease and acid phosphatase. Soil pH and bulk density decreased with increased rates of press mud, which was seen as indications of improved soil properties. Furthermore, available macro- and micro-nutrient concentrations in the soil increased with increased rates of press mud. The present study demonstrated that in organic cultivation of A. paniculata, optimised application rates of press mud can be used not only to supplement soil nutrients but also to enhance yields of plant biomass and active constituents of A. paniculata.

Management of plant nutrient dynamics under alkaline soils through graded application of pressmud and gypsum.

An incubation experiment was conducted to monitor the effect of different organic matter inputs with the graded application of gypsum at different time intervals on soil pH, sodium (Na) content and available plant nutrients like nitrogen (N) and sulphur (S) in alkaline soil. The experiment was formulated with nine treatments, i.e. control (T1), recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) (T2), RDF+Gyp1 (T3), RDF+FYM5+Gyp2 (T4), RDF+FYM10+Gyp1 (T5), RDF+PM5+Gyp2 (T6), RDF+PM10+Gyp1 (T7), RDF+FYM2.5+PM2.5+Gyp2 (T8), RDF+FYM5+PM5+Gyp1 (T9) with three replications. Periodical soil samples were taken at six and twelve months intervals. Results showed that the addition of organic matter reduced the pH and Na content in the soil. More reduction was observed at one year period as compared to six months. The addition of farmyard manure (FYM) and pressmud (PM) at 10 t/ha with gypsum (1 t/ha) improved available N and available S content as compared to organic inputs (5 t/ha) with gypsum (2 t/ha) in soil. Pressmud application with FYM showed better availability of plant nutrients and a reduction of soil pH (8.39 to 7.79) and Na content from 626 to 391 mEq/L in the soil during the incubation period. During the study, the application of treatment T9 (FYM and PM in equal ratio with 1 t/ha gypsum) showed a better availability of available N (175 to 235 kg/ha) and S (15.44 to 23.24 kg/ha) and reduced the active ion concentration of Na. This study is very useful for the management of sodium toxicity, improving soil health and the mineralization rate of organic matter through the application of organic inputs for sustainable crop production.

Bacterial Community Structure, Diversity, and Fertility of Soil with and without Press Mud in Two Sites in Panay, Philippines

Sugarcane farmers commonly use press mud as organic fertilizer to improve the properties of soil and increase crop production. This study compared the effects of press mud on bacterial community structure, bacterial diversity, and physicochemical parameters of sugar mill soil in two sites, the URC Passi Sugar Central and Passi Sugar Central, Inc. both in Panay, Philippines. DNA and soil analyses were conducted to characterize the soil samples with and without press mud from both sites. The results showed that all nutrient contents increased in both areas after press mud application, except in URC Passi Sugar Central, where no increase in phosphorus and sulfur was observed. Bacterial diversity did not significantly increase six months after press mud application. Community pattern results showed that if soil samples within sites were compared, soil with press mud was significantly higher compared to the soil without press mud in terms of OTU richness (Capiz sugar central: 46.00±1.00, 40.00±1.50, respectively; URC Passi Sugar Central: 48.00±0.50, 45.00±0.00, respectively) and carrying capacity (Capiz sugar central: 169±7.36, 125±9.48, respectively; URC Passi Sugar Central: 181±3.80, 162±0.00, respectively) (p<0.05). The same trend was observed in soil samples between sites that were compared. Soil without press mud from URC Passi Sugar Central had a significantly higher compared with soil without press mud of Capiz Sugar Central in terms of OTU richness (45.00±0.00, 40.00±1.50, respectively) and carrying capacity (162±0.00, 125±9.48, respectively) (p<0.05). However, no significant difference was observed in soil with press mud between the two sites in OTU richness, carrying capacity, Shannon, and Evenness analyses (p>0.05). The phylogenetic tree analysis showed that Massilia sp. is closely related to Burkholderia arboris, and Lysobacter sp. is closely related to both Massilia sp.and B. arboris. Generally, press mud application helps increase the available nutrients, diversity, and community patterns in soil, making it good organic fertilizer.

Can Application of Pressmud Mediated Plant Nutrient Dynamics Under Lead Contaminated Soils of Indian Vertisol?

Long- term application of marginal quality water accumulated significant amount of pollutant into the soil. It reduces soil health parameters, and crop yield and their quality. In this regards, graded application of pressmud (PM), i.e. 0, 2.5, 5 and 10g/kg was applied on lead (Pb) contamination level (0, 100, 150, 300mg/kg) and evaluated interaction effect on plant nutrients uptake by spinach. Analytical data showed that increasing the PM levels enhanced the macro (phosphorus, potassium, sulphur) and micro-nutrient (zinc, copper, manganese, iron) concentration into the soil. Whereas, increasing the level of Pb significantly (p ≤ 0.05) reduced the P, K and S nutrient concentration and uptake pattern by spinach crop. Increasing PM levels (control to 10g/kg soil) improved P, K and S by 46.99, 98.96 and 76.79%, respectively in soil. This study is useful to formulate management strategies for minimizing Pb contamination in the food chain by the application of PM mostly in peri-urban areas.

Effect of Biofertilizers on Nutrient Uptake by Green Gram [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] under Agri-horti System in Vindhyan Region of Eastern Uttar Pradesh

A field investigation was carried out in Factorial Randomized Block Design during autumn 2018 at agricultural farm, Rajiv Gandhi South Campus, Barkachha, Mirzapur (RGSC), Banaras Hindu University (U.P.) to investigate the impact of fertiliser and biofertilizer on the nutrient uptake by the green gram (V. radiata L.) plant and grain under guava (P. guvajava L.) trees. The twelve year old guava orchard was established in August 2006 with spacing of 7m x 7m. Seven fertilizer combination viz., control, Rhizobium culture, press mud, phosphorus solubilizing bacteria, Rhizobium culture + fertilizer, phosphorus solubilizing bacteria + fertilizer and press mud + fertilizer were applied. Among them application of press mud + fertilizer performed better by recording highest nitrogen content in grain (3.75), nitrogen content in grain (1.50), removal of nitrogen in grain (33.09) Removal of nitrogen in straw (33.03) and phosphorus content in grain (0.41) phosphorus content in straw (0.30), phosphorus uptake in grain (3.62), phosphorus uptake in straw (5.61), and found significantly superior to rest of the treatments.

Effect of sugarcane pressmud with inorganic fertilizers on growth and yield of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.

A field experiment was conducted at Amar Singh PG College, Lakhaoti, Bulandshahr (Uttar Pradesh) during 2018-19and 2019-20, to assess the efficacy of sugarcane pressmud on growth, yield and economics of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.). Six different levels of pressmud were evaluated in randomized block design with three replications. The results indicated that turmeric responded significantly to the application of pressmud over control. Application of 20 t pressmud ha-1 along with RDF resulted in the highest plant height (97.4 cm), maximum leaf length (49.4 cm) and leaf breadth (12.9 cm). The highest number of rhizomes per plant (21.5), maximum fresh rhizome weight per plant (310.3 g) and fresh rhizome yield (34.5 t ha-1) were produced with the application of RDF + 20 t pressmud ha-1.The yield increment with RDF + 20 t pressmud ha-1 was 22.7%, over the control (RDF only).The growth, yield attributes and yield of turmeric rhizomes tended to decrease with higher levels of pressmud beyond 20 t pressmud ha-1. The control treatment performed the poorest as against different levels of pressmud application, recording the lowest values for all these characters. Economic assessment of different treatments revealed that the maximum net return (Rs. 4,78,757 ha-1) with the highest B:C ratio (2.95) was obtained with the application of RDF + 20 t pressmud ha-1 as compared to control with a net return of Rs. 3,54,677 ha-1 and B:C ratio of 2.51.

Mitigation of Salinity-Induced Oxidative Damage, Growth, and Yield Reduction in Fine Rice by Sugarcane Press Mud Application.

Salinity stress is one of the major global problems that negatively affect crop growth and productivity. Therefore, ecofriendly and sustainable strategies for mitigating salinity stress in agricultural production and global food security are highly demandable. Sugarcane press mud (PM) is an excellent source of the organic amendment, and the role of PM in mitigating salinity stress is not well understood. Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate how the PM mitigates salinity stress through the regulation of rice growth, yield, physiological properties, and antioxidant enzyme activities in fine rice grown under different salinity stress conditions. In this study, different levels of salinity (6 and 12 dS m–1) with or without different levels of 3, 6, and 9% of SPM, respectively were tested. Salinity stress significantly increased malondialdehyde (MDA, 38%), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, 74.39%), Na+ (61.5%), electrolyte leakage (40.32%), decreased chlorophyll content (32.64%), leaf water content (107.77%), total soluble protein (TSP, 72.28%), and free amino acids (FAA, 75.27%). However, these negative effects of salinity stress were reversed mainly in rice plants after PM application. PM application (9%) remained the most effective and significantly increased growth, yield, TSP, FAA, accumulation of soluble sugars, proline, K+, and activity of antioxidant enzymes, namely, ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD). Thus, these findings suggest a PM-mediated eco-friendly strategy for salinity alleviation in agricultural soil could be useful for plant growth and productivity in saline soils.

Effect of Fertilizers on yield attributes of Green gram [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] under Guava (Psidium guajava L.) based Agri-horti system in Vindhyan region of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India

A field experiment was conducted in Factorial Randomized Block Design during kharif 2018 farm, Rajiv Gandhi South Campus, Barkachha, Mirzapur (RGSC), Banaras Hindu University (U.P.) to effect of fertilizer and biofertilizer on growth and yield attributes in green gram (V. radiata L.) under guava (P. guvajava L.) based agri-horti system. The twelve year old guava (P. guvajava L.) orchard was planted in August 2006 as spacing of 7m x 7m. Seven treatment combinations viz., control, Rhizobium culture, phosphorus solubilizing bacteria, press mud, Rhizobium culture plus fertilizer, phosphorus solubilizing bacteria plus fertilizer, press mud plus fertilizer. Application of press mud plus fertilizer performed better by recording number of pod per plant (35.6), length of pod (11 cm) and test weight (35.1 g) yield attributes viz., grain yield (1090.25 kg ha-1) and Stover yield (2808.01 kg ha-1) However, significantly superior to the rest of the treatment over the control.

Impact of sugarcane press mud application on the productivity of some legumes under salt water irrigation

Impact of sugarcane press mud application on the productivity of some legumes under salt water irrigation

Response of Industrial Solid Wastes on Maize (Zea mays L.: cv. PHI 1899) Growth and on Soil Characteristics

Greenhouse pottrial experiment was conducted on maize (cv. Phi-1899) crop to find out the effects of sugar and yeast industry solid wastes viz. Sugar industry sludge, sulphitation pressmud and yeast industry sludge on germination and growth of maize. The post-harvest soil analysis was also conducted to deter­mine their effects on various soil chemical properties. Germination of maize was stimulated (from 50.0% to 73.3%) with the addition of sugar industry sludge, sulphitation pressmud and yeast industry sludge @ 8% in soil. All the treatments of sugar industry sludge (upto 8% application in soil) caused a statistically significant increase in plant growth. The dry weight of root and shoot at both the stages was found to increase up to 4% pressmud application then significantly decrease at 8% level of addition. The plant height and dry weight of shoot also increased significantly due to sludge application. The sludge and pm registered a significant increase in soil EC, organic carbon, available potassium, available phosphorus, total nitrogen and the C:N ratio of soil. It was concluded that sludge and pm of the sugar industry could be used as source of plant nutri­ents in an integrated nutrient management system, up to a level as high as 4% addition to the soil.

Growth, yield and arsenic accumulation by wheat grown in a pressmud amended salt-affected soil irrigated with arsenic contaminated water

The study assessed the influence of pressmud (PM) application on soil available phosphorus (P) content, growth, yield, and arsenic (As) accumulation in wheat grains on a salt-affected soil receiving irrigation of As-contaminated water. Wheat seeds (cv. Faisalabad-2008) were sown in pots containing saline soil (EC 11.72 dS m−1; pH 8.07; SAR 31.3 mmol1/2 L−1/2) amended with PM (0, 2.5, 10 and 15 g kg−1) and irrigated with As-contaminated water (0, 25 and 100 µg L−1). The pot experiments had two sets, one was harvested after 30-days of germination while the other at crop maturity. Pressmud application at 2.5, 10 and 15 g kg−1 improved biomass of 30-days old wheat seedlings by 44%, 86% and 90%, respectively compared to unamended soil. Irrigation with As-contaminated waters did not affect seedling biomass or grain yield of wheat. Plant height, fertile tillers, straw biomass and grain yield increased from 57-62 cm, 3–5 no. plant−1, 2.93–5.31 g plant−1 and 3.93–7.11 g plant−1, respectively by 15 g PM kg−1 soil. Moreover, PM application resulted in an 8-fold increase in soil available P content, which resulted in higher grain P uptake. Irrigation with water of 25 and 100 µg As L−1 increased soil available P by 7.6% and 11%, respectively, but its influence on the grain P concentration was non-significant. Pressmud application in combination with As-contaminated water increased accumulation of As in grains. By applying water of 25 and 100 µg L−1 As, accumulation of As in wheat grains increased from 3.12-42.4 and 49.58–91.85 µg kg−1, respectively compared with normal water. However, these concentrations of As in wheat grains were still below the permissible limit of 430 µg kg−1 prescribed for agronomic crops. In conclusion, PM is very effective in improving wheat productivity on salt-affected soils but it can aggravate As accumulation in wheat grains if applied in combination with As polluted water.

Pressmud alleviates soil sodicity stress in a rice–wheat rotation: Effects on soil properties, physiological adaptation and yield‐related traits

AbstractWe assessed the improvement potential of pressmud – a sugar industry waste – on soil properties, physiological adaptation and yield‐related traits in a rice–wheat rotation in sodicity‐affected Ghaghar basin of Haryana, India. Large‐scale (0.2–0.4 ha) participatory trials comprising two treatments, with (+PM) and without (–PM) pressmud, were conducted on 125 farmers' fields covering non‐sodic (NS), slightly sodic (SS) and moderately sodic (MS) soils. Pressmud application (10 Mg ha−1) led to appreciable reductions in soil pH (1.6–3.6%) and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP; 10.4–20.1%) with concomitant improvements in plant physiological and yield‐related traits across different soil alkali classes, albeit to a greater extent in SS and MS soils than in NS soils. Compared to prevailing farmers' practices (–PM), transformative improvements in mean leaf relative water content (RWC) (4 and 7%), membrane injury (MII) (−12 and −14%), photosynthetic rate (Pn) (21 and 25%), stomatal conductance (gS) (26 and 21%), transpiration rate (E) (38 and 22%), proline (P) (−19 and −20%) and Na+/K+accumulation in shoot (NaK_S) (−24 and −22%) and root (NaK_R) (−23 and −27%) were observed in both rice and wheat grown under PM ameliorated soils. On an average, rice and wheat yields were increased by 15.8 and 14.6% in SS and 18.9 and 16.7% in MS soils, respectively, with pressmud application. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed significant correlations among highly weighted variables including physiological and yield‐related traits to influence the rice–wheat productivity with PM addition in SS and MS soils. Sustained use of this organic waste in agricultural lands seems to be an affordable solution for overcoming sodicity‐induced land degradation, and achieving developmental goals of environmental and livelihood security.

Effect of nutrients sources on spring maize (Zea mays) and its residual effect on succeeding basmati rice (Oryza sativa)

A two-year field experiment was carried out at Regional Research Station, Karnal during 2016 and 2017 to study the effect of different nutrient sources on spring maize (Zea mays L.) and succeeding basmati rice (Oryza sativa L.) utilizing four organic manures [pressmud @7.5 t ha-1, vermicompost @ 7.5 t ha-1, farmyard manure @15 t ha-1 and control] and six fertilizer levels [135 , 180 kg N ha-1, 135 kg N ha-1 + 30 kg P2O5 ha-1, 180 kg N ha-1 + 30 kg P2O5 ha-1, 75% RDF and 100% RDF]. The results of the study revealed that the application of pressmud and vermicompost applied each at 7.5 t ha-1 recorded the higher dry matter accumulation, cob length, cob girth, number of kernels/cob, test weight and yield (grain and biological) of spring maize over no organic manure treatment. Increase in grain and biological yield of maize with application of pressmud over farmyard manure was 8.4 and 10.1%, and 7.97 and 9.61% during 2016 and 2017, respectively. Among fertilizer levels, application of 100% RDF being at par with 75% RDF and 180 kg Nha-1 + 30 kg P2O5 ha-1 recorded the higher dry matter accumulation, yield attributes and yield of maize.The residual effect of 100% RDF being at par with 75% RDF and 180 kg N ha-1+ 30 kg P2O5 ha-1 was found superior over 135 kg N ha-1 with respect to yield attributes and yield of basmati rice.

Toxic effects of Red-S3B dye on soil microbial activities, wheat yield, and their alleviation by pressmud application

This study examined the effect of Red-S3B textile dye on soil microbial activities, uptake of the dye by wheat plants and growth on the dye-contaminated soil. Moreover, pressmud (PM) application was investigated for its alleviative effect on wheat yield and dye uptake by plants. Preliminarily, soil was spiked with a wide concentration range (0, 100, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 mg kg−1 soil) of Red-S3B dye and wheat was grown for 42-days. The dye did not suppress the activities of soil enzymes and growth of wheat seedlings at 100 mg kg−1; however, beyond this level the dye had a linear negative effect on these attributes. With 1000 mg dye kg−1 soil, wheat seedling biomass, viable microbial count, soil respiration, dehydrogenase, phosphatase, and urease activities decreased by 84%, 33%, 45%, 69%, 24%, and 11%, respectively as compared to uncontaminated soil. Moreover, phosphorus and potassium content in wheat shoot decreased, while the nitrogen content increased in Red-S3B contaminated soil. In the subsequent pot experiment, PM application (12.5 g kg−1 soil) was assessed to alleviate the adverse effect of moderately toxic level of Red-S3B dye (500 mg kg−1 soil) on wheat growth and yield. Root and straw biomass, and grain yield of wheat decreased by 13, 19 and 12%, respectively in Red-S3B contaminated soil as compared to uncontaminated soil. However, PM application to dye-contaminated soil retrieved the dye-induced reduction in root and straw biomass and grain yield to become statistically (p ≤ 0.05) at par with control plants. The color of Red-S3B was clearly visible in spikes depicting that plants absorbed Red-S3B but probably could not metabolize it. Amending the dye-contaminated soil with PM decreased Red-S3B content in awns from 78 to 37 mg kg−1. Hence, it is concluded that Red-S3B textile dye is highly toxic to soil microbes and wheat plants at levels exceeding 100 mg kg−1 soil. Soil application of PM alleviates the adverse effect of Red-S3B dye on wheat growth through reducing its uptake by plants.

Impact of pressmud application in reclamation of high RSC irrigation water induced soil sodification and sustaining rice (Oryza sativa) - wheat (Triticum aestivum) production in Indo-Gangetic Plains

Farmers mostly prefer mineral gypsum as reclamation ameliorant for sodic soils. Timely availability of quality product many a times hampers the pace of reclamation process impairing crops productivity to a greater extent. To measure the reclamative efficiency of pressmud in sodic ecosystems dominating rice (Oryza sativa L.) - wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)system, a total of 37 farmer’s participatory trials were carried out in Kaithal district of Haryana state. Soil incorporation of pressmud at 10 t/ha improved the plants adaptation through significant improvement in agro-physiological and biochemical parameters of crop response. Concomitant reduction in spikelets sterility (~21%) and chaffy grains per panicle (~17%) in rice under pressmud ameliorated plots imparted yield advantage to the tune of ~21% under sodic conditions. In wheat, pressmud application increased productive tillers per mrl (13%), spikelets per spike (8%), grains per earhead (10%) and 1000-grain weight (2%) elucidating ~14% yield gain compared to farmer’s managed plots. System productivity in terms of wheat equivalent yield improved by ~15% per cent due to pressmud application under a variable range of soil pH (7.18-8.65) and RSCiw (1.6-7.6 me/L). Pressmud incorporation resulted in reduction of Na saturation in soil-plant continum and neutralized soil alkalinity with consequent reduction in soil pH to the extent of 0.07-0.44 units with a mean value of 8.47 after crop harvest against initial value of 8.68. Amelioration of sodic soils through pressmud application showed economic benefits of ₹ 24779 / ha with incremental benefit-cost ratio of 5.04 for each rupee invested against the added cost of ₹ 4920 / ha. Field application of pressmud not only ensured the safe disposal of this waste byproduct but also helped in achieving the sustainable yields. Evidences from farmer’s participatory trials revealed that pressmud can serve as affordable alternative amendment to gypsum in sodic land reclamation programme. In nutshell, scientific diagnosis of field problems, strong farmers-scientist interface and participatory research could work as suitable and location specific adaptive strategies in arresting the salt induced land degradation and strengthening farmers’ livelihood.

Soil microbial properties influenced with long term application of manures and fertilizers

An ongoing long-term field experiment established in 1995 at CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar (India) under pearl millet-wheat cropping system was selected to examine the impact of organic manures and fertilizers on soil microbiological properties. After 19 years of experiment, the samples were collected after wheat harvest in April, 2014. Under different combinations of treatments, the microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) content in soil ranged from 202–491 and 35.0–79.8 mg/kg, respectively. The lower content of MBC and MBN was observed in farmyard manure (FYM) treated plots as compared to pressmud or poultry manure. Soil microbial quotient (SMQ) ranged from 3.18– 5.61% and higher SMQ was observed with pressmud and poultry manure application as compared to FYM application. The highest dehydrogenase activity (DHA) was reported with FYM15 (63.71 μgTPF/g/24 hr) which was statistically at par with FYM15N150 (59.75 μg TPF/g/24 h) and pressmud7.5 (58.14 μg TPF/g/24 h). Among organic manures applied alone alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) followed the order: poultry manure>FYM>pressmud. The highest urease activity (97.6 μg NH4 +-N/g/h) was observed with pressmud7.5 and this may be attributed to higher N content (3.23%) in pressmud. The dehydrogenase and urease activity decreased in the plots where organic manures were applied in conjunction with NP fertilizers as compared to solitary application of organic manures. However, reverse trend was observed in case of alkaline phosphatase. Overall, pressmud applications exhibited favorable impacts on soil properties under pearl millet wheat cropping. Therefore, continuous application of pressmud could lead to long term maintenance of soil microbial properties in these sandy loam soils.