Rich Soils Research Articles

Long-Term Monitoring of Vegetation Cover on Drained Mires of South Karelia (Mesotrophic Herb–Sphagnum Mire)

With the help of gradient analysis and Ellenberg eco-scales, factors of differentiation of vegetation cover (moisture, illumination, soil acidity, and soil richness in mineral nitrogen) were revealed. Using nonmetric scaling, an ordination diagram of the distribution of geobotanical descriptions was created for 50 years of research (from 1971 to 2021). Correlation of ordination axes and ecological factors was carried out. On the ordination diagram and according to the results of cluster analysis, geobotanical descriptions form three distinct groups corresponding to certain time periods. Changes in the species composition in plant communities are caused by changes in illumination, moisture, and trophicity. Under the influence of drainage and successions of the vegetation cover for 50 years, on the site of a mesotrophic hummock-flark herb sphagnum mire, represented by mesotrophic hydrohygrophilous mire species, an oligotrophic hummock lawn dwarf-sphagnum pine forest was formed, formed by oligotrophic, mesohygrophilic forest-mie species.

Phytocenotic and Biotopic Parameters Affect the Condition of European Spruce Cultures during the Establishment Stage in the South-East of the Leningrad Region

In the Boksitogorskiy district of the Leningrad oblast, the study was conducted regarding the influence of phytocenotic parameters (crowns density, height, herbage density, moss cover) and biotopic parameters (illumination, acidity, moisture and soil richness) on the morphometric parameters and vitality of European spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) BRT (bare root trees) and RBT (root-balled trees) seedlings during the establishment phase under contrasting growing conditions: under the sparse aspen canopy left in clearings and in open spaces, outside the influence of tree crowns. The positive effect of undercanopy cultivation on the safety and viability of seedlings of both types has been statistically proven; with RBT seedlings having the best indicators of vitality and growth along the main axis. However, the herbaceous layer’s height and density under these conditions adversely affected the branching of seedlings. Unlike the undercanopy conditions, when growing in the open, the condition of seedlings was more susceptible to the influence of abiotic factors. Under these conditions, a close positive correlation was found between the viability of seedlings with BRT and the main soil parameters (humidity, acidity, and nitrogen supply). Due to the better illumination on plots without canopies, seedlings with BRT had consistently high growth rates along the main axis. Under these conditions, the grass cover at the stage of spruce establishment was found to have a protective effect, maintaining a more optimal moisture regime and shading the seedlings. The practicality of using the RBT cultures in open spaces was still substantiated, since they were less susceptible to the negative influence of factors.

Diversity of the vegetation cover of the zone of potential influence of the Nizhneboguchanskaya HPP (Lower Angara region)

Active economic development of the Lower Angara zone requires the creation of a scientific basis for long-term monitoring of the state of natural ecosystems. The paper gives an assessment of the diversity of vegetation cover in the zone of potential influence of the Nizhneboguchanskaya HPP. An analysis of its typological structure on a landscape-ecological basis is given. The results of the DCA ordination and the interpretation of the leading axes of variation demonstrated the presence of four distinct groups of forest types that form ecological series according to the leading factors - the richness and hydrothermal regimes of soils. The dendrogram of forest types in the study area reflects the floristic integrity of the identified groups of forest types and the floristic relationships between them.

Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Satellite Data and Unsaturated Soil Response

The importance of degree of soil saturation in geotechnical problems resulted in inclusion of unsaturated soil mechanics in various applications for several decades. However, in spite of recent progress in remotely sensed soil moisture measurement, geotechnical community has not yet taken advantage of these advances in analysis of unsaturated soils. NASA launched its Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite in 2015 with the aim of providing surface and root zone soil moisture content over the global land surface at 3-day average intervals. SMAP, as a widely validated and near-real-time database, offers a rich soil moisture database at a global scale that can be used in studies considering unsaturated soil behaviour. A study of the relationship between soil water content and seismic ground response is presented in this paper using SMAP, which includes the tracking of the variations in Earth's surface soil moisture caused by earthquakes.

Research on the Value of Rural Documentary Photography in Promoting the Inheritance of Excellent Traditional Culture

In the context of comprehensively promoting rural revitalization, inheriting and developing excellent traditional culture has become a crucial issue. The vigorous development of rural construction has provided rich soil for photography creation. Rural documentary photography has unique advantages in recording local customs, witnessing the changes of the times, inheriting national collective memory, spreading local culture, and promoting social change. Based on the background of rural revitalization, starting from the current situation of the inheritance and development of rural traditional culture, this paper explores the great value of rural documentary photography in the inheritance of excellent traditional culture from the perspective of the needs of the times and the revitalization of culture through the analysis of the origin of Chinese and foreign rural documentary photography and typical creative practices. It will upgrade rural documentary photography from a simple visual experience to a value leading level, and help cultural inheritance and rural revitalization through the power of images.

Soil and Foliar Application of Molybdenum on Yield, Biochemical Quality of Green Gram (Vigna Radiata L.) Grown in Fe Rich Soils

More than 70 % soils of Odisha are acidic with dominance of Fe and Al where Mo deficiency in soils affects the yield of rabi green gram which is much below than the national average. With this background an experiment was conducted by soil application four dose of molybdenum (0, 250, 500, 750 g/ha) and two foliar spraying of molybdenum @0.1% Mo (F1) and 0.2% Mo (F2) on the variety IPM 02-14. A light texture acidic sandy loam soil of central farm, OUAT, Bhubaneswar which is dominated by micronutrients like Fe, Mn, Al and deficient in molybdenum was selected for the experiment. It was observed that growth and yield attributing characters increased with the increase in foliar spraying (FS) of molybdenum as well as combined application of foliar and soil application up to a dose of (250 g/ha soil application with 0.2% foliar application of Mo) after which a decrease in all the attributes was observed. The highest yield of green gram was 549 kg/ha at combined application of 250 g/ha soil with 0.2% foliar spray of molybdenum. Uptake of major nutrients (N,P and K)was increased and the highest uptake was at Mo3F2. Improvement in soil fertility was observed in post-harvest soil with a positive balance in availability of nitrogen after meeting the crop requirement. Therefore, application of both soil and foliar spray (250 g/ha soil with 0.2%) was optimum dose of Mo for green gram grown in low fertile and Fe rich acidic soil. Bangladesh J. Bot. 51(4): 689-696, 2022 (December)

Из истории заселения русскими Урянхайского края

Introduction. The article deals with the Russian colonization of Uryankhay Krai (present-day Tyva Republic) prior to the establishment of Russian protectorate. Goals. The paper aims at analyzing migration flows to have accompanied the peopling of Uryankhay Krai. Materials and methods. The source base for the study was a wide range of materials, among which a significant proportion is occupied by pre-revolutionary publications, including periodicals (Siberia, Minusinsk Territory, Minusinsk Leaf, Yenisei Thought, Krasnoyarsk Voice, etc.), containing information on the topic under study. The methodological basis of the article was the general scientific principle and methods of scientific knowledge. Data on the demographic composition of migrants are limited. Results. A total of three Russian population inflows — gold mining, agricultural, and commercial ones — can be traced. Earliest messages about gold mining in Uryankhay date back to 1837 when Russians started exploiting gold mines in upper reaches of the Sistikema River. Tuvans worked in the mines, panned for gold. By the 1910s, there were 15 operating mines in Uryankhay. Gold mining was hindered not only by roadless terrain but also by the 1903 decree obliging Russian gold miners to leave their mines upon receipt of any restrictive resolution from the Chinese Government. Those were Old Believers who had arrived in Uryankhay earliest (around the 1860s) in search of Belevodye kingdom. Those were first Russians to have started cultivating land in the region. Periodicals were depicting Tuvan-inhabited lands as fertile, and after the expulsion of the Chinese a campaign popularizing ‘rich soils’ was organized among Minusinsk peasants and across territories adjacent to the Siberian railway. By 1914, over 3,000 dessiatins were occupied by Russian crops. Earliest merchants to have arrived in region were delivering ‘goods in their bosom’ exchanging knives, matches, tobacco and other commodities for livestock and furs. The bulk of Russians moved to Uryankhay from nearest provinces and the migration could be characterized as replacement one: bordering peasants suffering from lack of plough-land and aware of Uryankhay’s resources chose to move therein to be replaced by migrant Minusinsk peasants. Ethnic and social structure of immigrants from Russia was not that homogeneous. So, representatives of different ethnic groups — Russians, Tatars, Khakas, Latvians, Poles — came from different social classes, e.g., merchants, Cossacks, peasants. This attests to a high migration mobility in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As of the establishment of Russian protectorate in 1914, over 5,5 thousand Russians were living in the region. Conclusions. Russian colonization — from the arrival of Old Believers and to the official protectorate of Russia — was complete in less than 60 years. The rapid and successful process was facilitated by a number of factors, namely: geographical location, lack of an exact borderline between the two countries, China’s political situation, and economic opportunities for Russian population in the region.

Adoption behaviour of tribal and non-tribal paddy growers

Baksa district of Assam is bestowed with rich soil and suitable climate that favours the growth of paddy cultivation. Although a sizeable portion of rural community is engaged in paddy farming, yet the production is not satisfactory which might be due to traditional method of cultivation. As the district is tribal dominated, therefore, the study strives to explore the adoption behaviour of both tribal and non- tribal paddy growers. A total of 101 respondents (59 non-tribal and 42 tribal farmers) were considered as the final sample by proportionate random sampling method. The findings revealed that above sixty five percent of total farmers had overall medium adoption level. However, (52.54%) of non- tribal and 69.04 per cent tribal farmers exhibited medium level of adoption. The “t value” was found to be significant. Factors such as annual income and occupational status of the farmers had a positive and significant association with the extent of adoption. Further, these significant and nearly significant variables were taken for Tobit analysis to find the influence of these factors on extent of adoption, where none of the factors showed a positive and significant contribution towards adoption process.

Effects of perfluorinated compounds homologues on chemical property, microbial composition, richness and diversity of urban forest soil

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), as an important class of new persistent organic pollutants, are widely distributed in the environment. Yet the effects of different types and concentrations of PFCs on soil microbial community in urban forest ecosystems are remain uncertain. Here, two typical PFCs, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), were selected to carry out a pot experiment in greenhouse with singly and joint treatment at different concentrations, to examine their effects on composition and diversity of soil microorganisms and availability of soil macronutrients by using high-throughput Illumina sequencing approach. The results showed both PFOA and PFOS application significantly increased soil NO3--N and NH4+-N content, but did not alter total phosphorus content, compared to the control check (CK) treatments. Total potassium content was reduced in PFOA treatments but increased in PFOS and PFOA×PFOS treatments. The most dominant bacterial phylum was Chloroflexi in low and medium PFCs concentrations and the CK treatments, but it was switched to Acidobacteria in high concentrations. No obvious change was detected for the composition of the dominant fungi community in PFCs treatments compared to the CK treatments. With the increase of PFCs concentrations, soil bacterial richness decreased but its diversity increased, whereas the richness and diversity of fungal community usually decreased. Redundancy analyses revealed that soil fungal community was more sensitive to PFCs pollutants than soil bacterial communities. Further data analysis revealed by structural equation model (SEM) that the PFCs exposed for 60 days indirectly affects the diversity and richness of soil bacteria and fungi by directly affecting NO3--N and NH4+-N content. The results suggested the concentration of PFCs pollutants played a primary role in determining the composition, richness and diversity of forest soil microbial communities.

Bioprospecting of Multi Trait Plant Growth Promoting Bacillus altitudinis from Phosphate Rich Soil

Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria (PSB) has the natural ability to liberate unavailable phosphorus (as a result of microbial metabolism extracellularly) from soil, rocks, and mines thereby increasing its availability for plants. The main mechanism behind this is the production of mineral dissolving compounds, such as organic acids, protons, hydroxyl ions, and CO2. The current study was conducted to explore the potential of a phosphate solubilizing bacteria which are isolated from rock phosphate mine in Rajasthan for enhancing the growth of Zea mays (maize) plants. Out of total of 137 bacterial isolates, one bacterial isolate RJ-11 was found to have multiple plant growth promoting (PGP) properties. Its phosphate solubilization ability was observed with solubility index (PSI) of 5.15. The potential isolate RJ-11 was found to solubilize tri calcium phosphate (Ca3(PO4)2) at a rate of 790.67 mg L-1. RJ-11 was found positive for potash solubilization, zinc solubilization, and siderophore production. On the basis of morphological and molecular characterization, isolate RJ-11 was identified as Gram positive bacterium, Bacillus altitudinis. LabID-B197 was assigned to B. altitudinis for further greenhouse pot experiments. Greenhouse pot experiments demonstrated that maize plants inoculated with B197 incorporated more phosphate which was observed as increase in germination percentage, increased shoot length (155%) and root length (45%), and much higher biomass weights than those plants without any added bacteria or controls. The result of present study indicates that B. altitudinis is a unique bacterium with multiple plant growth promoting properties and could act as potential bio fertilizer to improve the plant growth and develop cost-effective and sustainable agriculture practices.

Macroecological and biogeographical patterns of limb reduction in the world's skinks

AbstractAimLimb reduction is a dramatic evolutionary transition, yet whether it is achieved in similar trajectories across clades, and its environmental drivers, remain unclear. We investigate the macroevolutionary and biogeographical patterns of limb reduction in skinks, where limb reduction occurred more often than in any other tetrapod clade, and test their associations with substrate categories using a global database. We test for habitat associations of body shapes in a group of Australian skinks using quantitative habitat data.LocationGlobal (Scincidae), Australia (Sphenomorphinae).TaxonSkinks, Australian Sphenomorphinae.Materials and MethodsWe use morphological data to explore the patterns of limb reduction in the world's skinks, investigating how body proportions differ across skink clades and subfamilies. We examine the relationships between body shape and substrate (coarsely classified). Further, we investigate the relationships between body shape and high‐resolution soil and climate properties extracted from each species' distribution for Australian sphenomorphines.ResultsRelationships between limb lengths and trunk elongation show idiosyncratic patterns across skink clades. Presacral vertebrae numbers positively correlate with trunk elongation in all taxa, except Glaphyromorphus. Skinks from sandy habitats show greater disparity between forelimb and hindlimb lengths than all other substrate categories. In sphenomorphines, shorter limbs and elongated trunks correlate with colder, more humid microhabitats and richer soils; high limb disparity correlates with hot, arid microhabitats and sandy, poor substrates.Main ConclusionsThe evolutionary trajectories of limb reduction in skinks are clade‐specific and sometimes unique. Selection for specific limb proportions and body sizes in limb‐reduced forms changes across substrates. On poor, sandy substrates of arid environments, body shapes with longer hindlimbs may be more efficient for locomotion in a granular fluid (i.e. sand) and exploit the air–substrate interface than complete limblessness. On richer, more humid substrates, such morphology is rare, indicating that navigating cluttered substrates selects for more equal and shorter limb lengths.

Butterflies

Butterflies

Палеоэкологические условия в степной зоне Восточно-Европейской равнины в посткатакомбное время

The article is devoted to reconstruction of paleoecological conditions of the steppe zone of the Eastern European Plain in the late Middle Bronze Age. The buried soils of the Kurgan of the Babinskaya culture in the Bogucharsky district of the Voronezh region were studied. It is shown that chemical properties of soil are determined by winter precipitation, while the state of its microbial community reflects the moisture content in the warm season. Annual precipitation trend in the steppe zone in the post-Catacomb period was reconstructed on the basis of findings of a comparative analysis of the chemical and biological properties of soils. It has been established that soils at the end of the 3rd millennium BC showed obvious signs of aridization, which led to a change in soils properties and types causing Southern Chernozems (rich black soils) formation in areas where Ordinary Chernozems is currently located. At the same time, microbial biomass in the buried soils significantly exceeded the current values, and the structure of soil microbial community was dominated by microorganisms involved in plant litter decomposition, which indicates favorable summer conditions and intense summertime precipitation. The research data do not relate to the crisis narrative regarding the paleoecological conditions of the late Middle Bronze Age in the steppe zone of the Eastern European Plain. Furthermore, results obtained do not support the idea of crisis as some kind of comprehensive complex of negative natural and social phenomena. It is more correct to speak of an asynchronous change in the annual course of moisture supply with a decrease in winter and an increase in summer precipitation against the background of general climatic cooling. The article raises the question of the specifics of global climate change manifestation and consequences in the steppe zone generally referred to the “4.2-ka BP aridification event”, which caused drought in the lower latitudes and an increase in precipitation in high latitudes while undergoning a general cooling trend. It is suggested that, under those conditions, climatic fluctuation scale in the steppe zone, located intermediately between the boreal and tropical belts, was not so high. Thus, the steppe remained attractive for communities which managed to adjust their economic model to new conditions.

ASSESSMENT OF THE LARVICIDAL POTENTIAL OF BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS ISOLATES FROM SOIL AGAINST CULEX QUINQUIFASCIATUS

Environmental hazard and detrimental health effects associated with usage of chemical insecticides has made the search for a safer alternative means of controlling disease vectors and pest necessary. In this study, the larvicidal potential of Bacillus thuringiensis isolates against Culex quinquefasciatus was evaluated. B. thuringiensis were isolated and characterized from different organic rich soils collected from various locations in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. The larvicidal potential of the isolates against Cx. quinquefasciatus larvae was conducted by exposing the larvae to spore crystal mixture at 50, 75 and 100 ppm concentrations. Ten larvae of Cx. quinquefasciatus were exposed to each concentration and the test was conducted in triplicates. Probit analysis was used to determine the LC50 (concentration that kills 50% of the exposed larvae) for each of concentrations assessed. For 100 ppm concentration, the mean mortality of the larvae was found to be between 33.33% and 96.67%. As for 75 ppm concentration, mean mortality range of 73.33% and 23.33% was observed while mean mortality range of 53.33% and 10.0% was observed for 50 ppm concentration. The LC50 was estimated to be between 148.73 ppm and 39.81 ppm. The results of this research show that B. thuringiensis isolated from organic rich soil samples in Zaria has promising larvicidal potential in the control of Cx. quinquifasciatus larvae; hence, reducing number of adult mosquitoes that serve as vector of diseases.

Sapphire Beneath the Rich Black Soil of Muling, Northeastern China

Sapphire Beneath the Rich Black Soil of Muling, Northeastern China

The importance of calcium and amorphous silica for arctic soil CO2 production

Future warming of the Arctic not only threatens to destabilize the enormous pool of organic carbon accumulated in permafrost soils but may also mobilize elements such as calcium (Ca) or silicon (Si). While for Greenlandic soils, it was recently shown that both elements may have a strong effect on carbon dioxide (CO2) production with Ca strongly decreasing and Si increasing CO2 production, little is known about the effects of Si and Ca on carbon cycle processes in soils from Siberia, the Canadian Shield, or Alaska. In this study, we incubated five different soils (rich organic soil from the Canadian Shield and from Siberia (one from the top and one from the deeper soil layer) and one acidic and one non-acidic soil from Alaska) for 6 months under both drained and waterlogged conditions and at different Ca and amorphous Si (ASi) concentrations. Our results show a strong decrease in soil CO2 production for all soils under both drained and waterlogged conditions with increasing Ca concentrations. The ASi effect was not clear across the different soils used, with soil CO2 production increasing, decreasing, or not being significantly affected depending on the soil type and if the soils were initially drained or waterlogged. We found no methane production in any of the soils regardless of treatment. Taking into account the predicted change in Si and Ca availability under a future warmer Arctic climate, the associated fertilization effects would imply potentially lower greenhouse gas production from Siberia and slightly increased greenhouse gas emissions from the Canadian Shield. Including Ca as a controlling factor for Arctic soil CO2 production rates may, therefore, reduces uncertainties in modeling future scenarios on how Arctic regions may respond to climate change.

Interaction of rhizobia with native AM fungi shaped biochar effect on soybean growth

While biochar amendment is widely recommended as an excellent agricultural management practice, the biochar effect on the productivity of legume crops with symbiotic microorganisms has been poorly elucidated. Hence, a pot experiment was conducted by growing soybean with or without commercial rhizobia inoculation in an arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi rich sandy soil amended with wheat straw biochar produced respectively at 350 °C, 450 °C, and 550 °C. We tested the effect of biochar on soybean–rhizobia symbiosis and its impact on plant growth, leaf gas exchange and mycorrhizal colonisation. In brief, rhizobia inoculation, without biochar, increased net photosynthetic rate by 81% and plant total biomass by 44% compared to no inoculation (the control). Without inoculation, amendment of low-temperature biochar (350 ºC) resulted in higher (by 51%) plant biomass than high-temperature (550 °C) biochar. With rhizobia inoculation, low-temperature biochar decreased plant biomass by 9.3% compared to high-temperature biochar. Further, soybean with rhizobia under high-temperature biochar decreased plant biomass by 17% compared to rhizobia inoculation only but increased by 19% compared to the control. Soybean leaf gas exchange capacity and root morphological traits were consistent with plant biomass but symbiotic activity showed small differences among all the treatments. Overall, N-fixing rhizobia could alter the biochar effect on soybean in soil rich in indigenous AM fungi, depending on the pyrolysis temperature of the biochar used. Low-temperature biochar stimulated soybean growth greater than high-temperature biochar, while rhizobia shifted biochar’s positive effect. • Pyrolysis temperature shaped biochar effect on soybean growth with and without rhizobia inoculation in a sandy soil. • Soybean growth without rhizobia inoculation is promoted rather by biochar-350 °C than by biochar-550 °C. • A tradeoff on soybean plant growth between biochar and rhizobia inoculation. • Soil inorganic N correlated with root morphology while leaf gas exchange responded to soil NO 3 - .

Plant phenotypic plasticity changes pollinator-mediated selection.

Many organisms change their phenotype in response to the environment, a phenomenon called phenotypic plasticity. Although plasticity can dramatically change the phenotype of an organism, we hardly understand how this can affect biotic interactions and the resulting phenotypic selection. Here, we use fast cycling Brassica rapa plants in an experiment in the greenhouse to study the link between plasticity and selection. We detected strong plasticity in morphology, nectar, and floral scent in response to different soil types and aphid herbivory. We found positive selection on nectar and morphological traits in hand- and bumblebee-pollinated plants. Bumblebee-mediated selection on a principal component representing plant height, flower number, and flowering time (mPC3) differed depending on soil type and herbivory. For plants growing in richer soil, selection was stronger in the absence of herbivores, whereas for plants growing in poorer soil selection was stronger with herbivory. We showed that bumblebees visited tall plants with many flowers overproportionally in plants in poor soil with herbivory (i.e., when tall plants were rare), thus causing stronger positive selection on this trait combination. We suggest that with strong plasticity under most stressful conditions, pollinator-mediated selection may promote adaptation to local environmental factors given sufficient heritability of the traits under selection.

Prevalence of Thyroid Problems Among Patients Attending at Siddharthanagar City Hospital

Thyroid gland is vital gland. It produces Thyroxine T3 and Tri-Idothyronine T4 hormones which are needed for the growth and development. Iodine is needed for the formation of T3 and T4 hormones. Iodine is found in different food such as sea food, vegetables produced in Iodine rich soil and table salt. The associated problems of thyroid gland are hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. The objective of this study was to find out the prevalence of thyroid problems attending at Siddharthanagar City Hospital.
 It was hospital based retrospective study. Data related to thyroid problems T3,T4 and TSH was collected from hospital laboratory reports . The tests were done using Semi Auto Clia Plate Analyzer of TOSOH India Company.
 The total number of lab reports was 299 taken for study. Among them the percentage of male and female was 21.7 and 78.3 respectively. The overall prevalence of thyroid problems was 5.9% among general public. The overall prevalence of hypothyroidism was 9.69% and hyperthyroidism was 2.17% respectively. The prevalence of thyroid problems was seen more in female.
 This study showed that thyroid problem including hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism is common. Female population and 21-40 years age group are highly suffered in comparison to male population.

Twenty—eight years long chemical fertilization effects on soil potassium status under rice-wheat-green gram cropping sequence

ABSTRACT A long-term experiment was initiated on potassium (K)-rich clay soils in a rice-wheat-green gram cropping sequence to assess the feasibility of K fertilizer recommendation. Treatment consists of absolute control, farmyard manure to rice (25 t ha−1), 50% nitrogen and phosphorus (NP), 100% NP (257:160 kg NP ha−1), 50% NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium), 100% NPK (257:160:135 kg NPK ha−1), NP (257:127 kg NP ha−1) and NPK (257:120:67 kg NPK ha−1) as per soil test, 50% N, 100% N (257 kg N ha−1) to the sequence. NP and NPK application as per soil test significantly increased the yield of rice (4.15 and 3.92 t ha−1), wheat (2.59 and 2.56 t ha−1), green gram (0.66 and 0.62 t ha−1) and rice equivalent yield (8918 and 8660 kg ha−1) and net returns (1018 and 959 US $ ha−1), respectively. Sustainable yield index for rice, wheat and green gram was 0.53–0.63, 0.32–0.45 and 0.10–0.23, respectively. Apparent nutrient balance for N (38.7–120.9 kg ha−1) and P (43.6–113.5 kg ha−1) was positive and negative for K (−34.9 to −154.8 kg ha−1). Residual water-soluble (3.3 and 4.0 mg kg−1), exchangeable (84.2 and 95.1 mg kg−1) and available K (87.2 and 98.9 mg kg−1) were higher with full K dose.