Vertisols Of Central India Research Articles

Assessing the Impact of Residue Retention on Soil Biochemical Properties of Vertisols in a Maize-Chickpea Cropping System under Different Tillage Practices in Central India

This study examined, the potential effect of different residue retention practices on soil biochemical properties in Vertisol of central India. Experiment was conducted in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three different levels of crop residue retention (RR); 0%, 30%,90% in maize chickpea cropping system over conventional tillage (CT). The parameters assessed were total organic carbon (TOC), β-glucosidase activity, dehydrogenase activity (DHA), fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis activity (FDA), and stratification ratio. Soil samples were collected from 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm depths at the end of the cropping cycle to evaluate the effects of different residue management strategies. At the surface soil (0–15 cm), TOC was significantly higher under 90% RR (15.24 g kg⁻¹) and 30% RR (12.16 g kg⁻¹) compared to CT (9.39 g kg⁻¹). Enzymatic activities also showed significant improvements with increased residue retention. DHA at 0–15 cm was highest under 90% RR (103.57 µg TPF g⁻¹ day⁻¹), followed by 30% RR (84.63 µg TPF g⁻¹ day⁻¹) and CT (70.75 µg TPF g⁻¹ day⁻¹). A similar trend was observed for FDA, where 90% RR recorded 26.13 µg fluorescein g⁻¹ h⁻¹, exceeding CT (22.91 µg fluorescein g⁻¹ h⁻¹). β-glucosidase activity was also highest under 90% RR (169.60 µg PNG g⁻¹ soil h⁻¹), with reduced values at greater soil depths. Enzymatic activities (β-glucosidase, DHA, and FDA) exhibited a strong correlation (p < 0.01) with TOC content and were also strongly correlated, confirming their sensitivity to management practices. Stratification ratios did not vary significantly across residue retention levels, likely due to the high clay content protecting TOC and enzymes. These findings highlight the potential of residue retention to enhance soil health and serve as reliable indicators of soil quality in sustainable cropping systems.

Effect of 32 years of manuring and fertilization on carbon budgeting and carbon pools under sorghum-wheat cropping sequence in Vertisol of Central India

Effect of 32 years of manuring and fertilization on carbon budgeting and carbon pools under sorghum-wheat cropping sequence in Vertisol of Central India

Response of Nature-Based and Organic Farming Practices on Soil Chemical, Biological Properties and Crop Physiological Attributes under Soybean in Vertisols of Central India

Response of Nature-Based and Organic Farming Practices on Soil Chemical, Biological Properties and Crop Physiological Attributes under Soybean in Vertisols of Central India

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.

Effect of Microbial Consortia on Soil Health, Nutrient Uptake and Yield of Soybean Grown in a Vertisol of Central India

A field experiment was carried out in the research farm of the Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidhyalaya, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India during Kharif season of 2021-22. The experiment was performed with nine treatments comprised by Rhizobium, Pseudomonas, EM and their consortia with FUI and UFUI (absolute control) in randomized block design. The soybean crop was grown in the field along with recommended package of practices. The result showed that the yield of soybean was 43% higher (2351 kg ha -1) than control FUI and better uptake of N (145 kg ha-1 by seed and 125.6 kg ha-1 by straw), P (7.9 kg ha-1 by seed and 14.9 kg ha-1 by straw) and K (42.3 kg ha-1 by seed and 65.0 kg ha-1 by straw) by soybean were found due to inoculation of microbial consortia of Rhizobium, Pseudomonas and EM culture. The Physico-chemical properties (pH, EC and OC), availability of nutrients (NPK with vales of 288, 29 and 335 kg ha-1 respectively), enzymatic activities (Acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities with values of 42.2, 69. 8 µg PNG h-1 g-1 of soil and 12.9 μg TPF hr-1 g-1 of soil, respectively) and microbial population (Rhizobium by 35.1×106, total bacteria by 39.3×107, fungi by 41.9×104 and actinomycetes by 38.7×103 cfu g-1 soil) in soil also improved with the same treatment as compared to FUI. It is strongly recommended that the inoculation of microbial consortia improved the soil health and soybean production too instead of single inoculation by modulating microbial population which improves the soil health by nutrient fixation, solubilization and mobilization and plant growth promotion.

Effect of chromium and cations concentration on stress enzymes in spinach crop grown under vertisol of central India

Interaction of chromium (Cr) metal ions with sodium (Na) and calcium (Ca) and their effect on the different plant enzymes in spinach were evaluated in a glass house experiment. Multi-metal toxicity hampers the crop's growth and affects the uptake kinetics of minerals and other substances from root to edible part. In this experiment, three levels of Cr (0, 50 and 100 mg/kg), Na levels (0, 40, 80 mM), and Ca levels (0, 2, 4 mM) were applied to Indian vertisol. The spinach crop was grown with recommended agronomic practices. Fully tender leaves were taken to measure stress enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase) of metals; and found to have a significant effect on metal toxicity in spinach crop. Increasing the Cr level up to 100 mg/kg significantly enhanced the activities of catalase, SOD, and peroxidase in spinach; whereas, a lower level of Ca and Na with 50 mg Cr/kg soil significantly (p < 0.05) didn't affect the stress enzymes level. However, increasing the salt ions concentration up to 4 mM of Ca and 80 mM of Na with 50 and 100 mg Cr/kg soil enhanced the catalase, peroxidase and SOD activities from 1.61 to 5.42 mg protein/min, 4.26–59.87 mg protein/min and 4.36–64.42 g/fresh weight, respectively. The SOD activity was measured to be more than the catalase and peroxidase under the interactive effect of salt ions and Cr. Such an experiment is useful to identify a metal's toxic effect on crops grown under poor-quality natural resources for executing efficient management strategies for better crop yield.

Effect of conservation agriculture on soil organic carbon, soil physical properties and yield of different cropping systems in Vertisols of central India

Intensive agriculture coupled with mechanization has become a threat to agricultural sustainability and hence, novel changes like conservation agriculture or regenerative agriculture are required to achieve desirable productivity and upkeep of natural assets. Around the world, conservation agriculture (CA), is gaining acceptance as an innovative and sustainable farming method that can improve the health of the soil, reduce the effect of climate change, enhance organic carbon in the soil, and increase agricultural production. The present research study examined the impact of conservation agriculture in the form of no-tillage on soil organic carbon (SOC), aggregate stability, soil penetration resistance (SPR), and yield of different cropping systems in terms of soybean grain equivalent yield (SGEY). The study was carried out in the Vertisols of central India during the kharif season (July-October) and rabi season (November-April) of 2022-23 on the existing long-term CRP-CA research project at the research farm of the ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal, (M.P.), India, initiated way back in 2010. The field experiment was set up using a factorial randomized block design with two tillage systems, no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT), and three cropping systems, namely, soybean-wheat, maize-gram, and maizewheat with four replications. Results revealed that CA-based NT plots have significantly higher SOC (0.93%), mean weight diameter (1.29 mm), and water-stable aggregate (82.12%) compared to the CT plots on the surface soil (0-10 cm). Tillage had no significant impact on the surface of the soil (0-15 cm) to soil penetration resistance, but in lower depths (15- 30 and 30-45 cm), SPR was significantly higher in CT compared to NT. The crop yield of NT in terms of SGEY (34.74 quintal ha-1) is significantly higher than CT (32.28 quintal ha-1). Thus, in the present era, CA techniques could be promoted as sustainable farming methods to increase agricultural yields and the physical health of the soil.

Residual Effect of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on Growth Indices of Chickpea under Soybean-Chickpea System in Vertisol of Central India

A field experiment was conducted at ICAR-Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Regional Station, Bhopal to evaluate the residual effect of the fertilizer with organic manure on the growth indices of chickpea in soybean-chickpea system in Vertisol of central India. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design comprising two levels of farm yard manure (5 t FYM ha-1 or No FYM) in the main plots and six micronutrient management levels (control, 25 kg ZnSO4 ha-1, 12.5 kg ZnSO4 ha-1 + zinc solubilizer, ammonium molybdate (AM) 1 g kg-1 seed treatment + 25 kg ZnSO4 ha-1, ammonium molybdate (AM) 1 kg ha-1 soil application + 25 kg ZnSO4 ha-1, and ammonium molybdate (AM) 1 g kg-1 seed treatment + 0.5% foliar spray of ZnSO4 at 30 and 60 days after sowing) in sub-plots with three replications. The results revealed that the application of 5 t FYM ha-1 resulted in significantly higher values of plant height, dry matter accumulation, branches plant-1, leaf area index, leaf area duration, absolute growth rate, crop growth rate, and relative growth rate than no application of FYM. Furthermore, ammonium molybdate (AM) at 1 kg ha-1 as a basal application with 25 kg ha-1 ZnSO4 significantly improved all the growth parameters, viz. plant height, dry matter accumulation (DMA), branches plant-1, leaf area index, leaf area duration, absolute growth rate, crop growth rate, and relative growth rate over the control, 25 kg ZnSO4 ha-1 and 12.5 kg ZnSO4 ha-1 + zinc solubilizer. However, it was statistically on par with the AM 1 g kg-1 seed treatment + 25 kg ZnSO4 ha-1 + 25 kg ZnSO4 ha-1 and AM 1 g kg-1 seed treatment + 0.5% foliar spray of ZnSO4 with respect to all growth parameters. Thus, the application of farmyard manure 5 t ha-1 with AM at 1 kg ha-1 as a basal application with 25 kg ha-1 ZnSO4 could be used to sustain chickpea production and maintain soil fertility. The results highlight the importance of using plant nutrients from various sources and methods of application for realizing high chickpea productivity.

Response of Wheat to Farmyard Manure and Zinc Application in a Vertisol of Central India

Zinc (Zn) deficiency is one of the major global nutrition concerns, particularly in regions where diets are cereal dominant. About 50% of soils poor in zinc have resulted in zinc deficiency in cereal grains. Farmyard manure (FYM) with Zn application is the way to meet the Zn needs of crops and to raise the Zn content of grain that is ultimately consumed by people. Therefore, a pot experiment was conducted at the Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry of JNKVV, Jabalpur, in the Rabi season of 2020-2021 with three levels of FYM (0, 5.0, and 10 t ha-1) and three levels of zinc (0, 5 and 10 kg Zn ha-1) through ZnSO4.7H2O in a completely randomized design (CRD). Results revealed that the addition of 5 t FYM ha-1 + 10 kg Zn ha-1 produced significantly better results for the plant height compared to the control. The combined application of 10 t FYM ha-1 + 10 kg Zn ha-1 showed the highest SPAD (Soil Plant Analysis Development) meter reading at 21 DAS (Days after sowing), but it was the highest at the sole application of 10 t FYM ha-1 at 45 DAS. Significant enhancements in spike length (7.65 cm), weight and number of grains per spike (23.90), and DMP of 7.12 g pot-1 were recorded with the 5 kg Zn ha-1 sole application. However, the highest grain weight (2.50 g pot-1) was recorded with 5 t FYM ha-1 + 5 kg Zn ha-1, which was on par with 5 t FYM ha-1, 5 kg Zn ha-1, and 10 t FYM ha-1+10 kg Zn ha-1. The highest Zn content (48.95 mg kg-1) in wheat grain was recorded with 10 kg Zn ha-1, followed by 5 t FYM ha-1 + 10 kg Zn ha-1 (44.45 mg kg-1). The highest Zn uptake of 99.53 µg pot-1 by grain of wheat was recorded with 5 t FYM ha-1 + 5 kg Zn ha-1, which was significantly superior to all the treatments but on par with 5 kg Zn ha-1 (98.82 µg pot-1). Combined application of 5 t FYM ha-1 +10 kg Zn ha-1 maintain extractable zinc in soil as compared to control.

Effect of Nutrient Management Practices on Carbon Pools Following 13 Year of Cropping with Soybean (Glycine max) Based Cropping Systems in Vertisol of Central India

Organic manure application has its significant impact on the soil health. Low organic matter in tropical soils is a major factor contributing to their poor productivity. Soil properties have been continuously influenced by the management practices and land uses, in which latter one has been, identified as profound influence on soil properties especially on soil organic carbon. A thirteen year experiment on soybean based cropping system in a vertisol of central india under organic farming was used for this investigation An investigation was carried out on “Soil organic carbon dynamics under long-term nutrient management in soybean based cropping system” at the Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal on an on-going research project on organic farming. The effect of organic, integrated and inorganic nutrient management was assessed in three cropping systems viz. soybean (JS 335)-wheat (Malwa Shakti), soybean-mustard (Pusa Bold) and soybean-gram (JG 130) on aggregate size fractions, carbon content in aggregate as well as soil organic carbon pools dynamics on a split plot experimental design with three replications. The study relevant to dynamics of soil organic carbon pools revealed higher content of soil organic carbon, labile carbon, water soluble carbon, SMBC as well as dehydrogenase activity that varied between 1.04 and 0.86 percent; 440 and 538 mg kg-1, 52.97 and 70.43; 288 and 375 mg kg-1, 88 and 137 µg TPF g-1 soil d-1, respectively in surface 0-15 cm soil under organic nutrient management.

Effect of land use and soil depth on the distribution of phyto-available nutrients and SOC pools of Vertisols in Central India.

A proper understanding of soil parameters under different production systems of the world is necessary for efficient soil management. We, therefore, carried out the present study to assess the status of some selected soil properties (soil pH and electrical conductivity (EC)), phyto-available nutrients (available nitrogen (AN), available potassium (AK), exchangeable calcium (Ex. Ca), exchangeable magnesium (Ex. Mg), available sulfur (AS), and soil organic carbon (SOC) pools (SOC, total organic carbon (TOC), very labile C, labile C, less labile C, and non-labile C) and to establish relationships among the measured soil parameters at different depths of Vertisols of India under various land uses. A total of 150 composite soil samples (from 25 plots including nine from agricultural land, nine from horticultural land, three from forest land, and four from grassland) were collected from 6 soil depths viz, 0-10, 10-20, 20-40, 40-60, 60-80, and 80-100 cm under agriculture, horticulture, forest, and grassland land uses present in Central India and analyzed. The values of soil pH, EC, AN, AK, Ex. Ca, Ex. Mg, and AS in various soil depths under different land uses varied widely. The values of SOC (0.19 to 1.00%), TOC (0.58 to 2.42%), very labile C (0.14 to 0.83%), labile C (0.05 to 0.25%), less labile C (0.05 to 0.26%) and non-labile C (0.23 to 1.42%) in various soil depths under different land uses also varied significantly. Forest and grassland land uses had higher levels of SOC, TOC, very labile, and non-labile C content in all the soil depths in comparison to SOC, TOC, very labile, and non-labile C content in different soil depths under agriculture and horticulture land use. The levels of SOC, TOC, very labile, and non-labile C content under all the land uses decreased with increasing soil depths. SOC was positively and significantly correlated with AN, AK, AS, and estimated SOC pools in surface soil layers. Principal component analysis (PCA) of soil parameters in different soil depths resulted in 5 principal components (PCs) with > 1 eigenvalue and accounting for > 75% variability. This information could be used for managing SOC status and phyto-available nutrients in Vertisols under different land uses.

Effect of Long-term Application of Organic, Inorganic and Integrated Nutrients on Soil Potassium Fractions in a Vertisol of Central India

The present study was conducted at the experimental field of College of Agriculture, Indore during 2018-2019.Soybean (cv. JS-9305), was grown with 80 kg ha-1 seed rate with row to row and plant to plant spacing of 40 cm X 5 cm. Soybean crop was grown as per standard cultural practices. The experiment was conducted with nine treatments viz., T1- unfertilized control, T2- 20 kg N + 13 kg P ha-1, T3- 30 kg N + 20 kg P ha-1, T4- 40 kg N + 26 kg P ha-1, T5- 60 kg N + 35 kg P ha-1, T6- 6 t ha-1 FYM + 20 kg N + 13 kg P, T7- 5 t ha-1 crop residues + 20 kg N + 13 kg P, T8- 6 t ha-1 FYM and T9- 5 t ha-1 crop residues (CR) laid out in a randomized block design (RBD) having three replications. Different K fractions in soil sample viz., water soluble-K, available-K, exchangeable-K, non-exchangeable-K, lattice-K and total-K were determined following standard methods. The mean values were grouped for comparisons and the least significant differences among them were calculated at p&lt;0.05 confidence level using ANOVA statistics. The results of present study revealed that to sustain K status in Vertisol there is a need of K application along with organic manure/crop residue. The application of organics with and without N and P application can sustain the Lattice-K availability in long run under soybean based cropping system of Vertisols. The rate of chemical fertilizer can be reduced up to 50% due to long term application of 6 t ha-1 FYM or 5 t ha-1 crop residues are added to soil.

Integrated Nutrient Management Practices and their Effect on Soil Health in Relation of Enzyme Dynamics and Biota in a Long-Term Diverse Cropping System in Vertisols of Central India

Organic farming is gaining popularity as it maintains food yields and soil health without harming the environment. However, there is a dearth of global data on enzymes involved in the carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulphur cycles; microbial elemental stoichiometry; and soil functional diversity. On the other hand, organic farming lacks the most sensitive biological components and enzyme activity based on soil quality indices. It all started in 2004 when four of India's largest soybean-based cropping systems participated in a trial to examine the viability of nutrient management in soybean-based cropping systems (soybean-wheat, soyabean-mustard, soybean-chickpea, and soybean-linseed). Herein, we report the findings of a soybean-wheat cropping system studied for Vertisol under six nutrient management practises. Chemical characteristics of the soil were studied before and after seeding. Enzyme activity, soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC), and microbial count were studied in biological parameters. The chemical, biological and agronomic parameters of the soybean crop were statistically examined using the Randomized Block Design. The analysis of the various parameters from the surface soils (0–15 cm). The biological activity varied significantly between treatments. The agronomical indicators also exhibited significant values in the organically treated plot. Organic treatments improved agronomic conditions, stabilised soil, and improved its nutrient content, quality, and biological activity over time. The inorganically treated plot and the state recommended dose plot had the lowest nutritional content, as suggested by the lowest biological activity parameters. Soil fertility and nutrient availability were studied in this experiment in order to comprehend why switching from chemical to integrated nutrient application practises will be helpful towards the inception of a sustainable future.

Impact of Different Land Use Practices on Size of Soil Aggregates and Its Mean Weight Diameter under Vertisols of Central India

The present study was carried out at JNKVV, Jabalpur (23010’ N latitude, 79057’ E longitudes and at elevation 393.0 meters above mean sea level). This study was carried out in 2019 that laid out in split plot design with nine main treatments of land use practices (forest land, perennial forage land, uncultivated land, aonla orchard, rice-wheat system, soybean-wheat system, guava orchard, mango orchard and citrus orchard) and three sub-plot treatments of soil depths (0-20, 20-40 and 40-60 cm) which were replicated three times. A total of 81 soil samples were subjected to determination of different size (&gt; 5.0, 2.0-5.0, 1.0-2.0, 0.50-1.0, 0.25-0.50, 0.10-0.25 and &lt;0.10 mm) water stable soil aggregates and mean weight diameter of soil aggregates. Results revealed that land use practices and soil depths significantly affect the mean weight diameter of soil aggregates, distribution of different size soil aggregates. It was noted that irrespective of soil depths, proportions of macro-aggregates (&gt;0.50 mm size) and mean weight diameter were highest under forest land and lowest in soybean-wheat system. However, number of micro-aggregates (&lt; 0.50 mm) increased with soil depths and macro-aggregates and mean weight diameter of soil aggregates were highest at 0-20 cm depth. It can be concluded that extent of soil disturbance significantly alters the proportion of macro-aggregates (&gt;0.50 mm size) and mean weight diameter of water stable soil aggregates with higher in undisturbed (forest, uncultivated and perennial forage) land uses and lower in crop lands which decreased with increase in soil depths.

Long‐term nutrient management effects on organic carbon fractions and carbon sequestration in Typic Haplusterts soils of Central India

AbstractProductivity of agricultural soils, particularly in India's rainfed tropics, has rigorously fallen because of increased losses of soil organic carbon (SOC) during the last decades; consequently, sustaining crop productivity through the maintenance of SOC level is difficult for dryland farmers. Moreover, systematic research on carbon (C) sequestration, SOC pools, their sensitivity to management change and critical C input level for zero change in SOC, especially under cotton–greengram intercropping in Vertisols of semi‐arid climates, is limited. Therefore, we studied cotton–greengram intercropping after 35 years (1987–2022) under continuous application of organics (farmyard manure/gliricidia), chemical fertilizers and substitution of 50% or 100% fertilizer nitrogen (N) through farmyard manure/gliricidia (integrated nutrient management) (INM). The INM treatments recorded significantly higher cotton–greengram system productivity and sustainable yield index. Continuous cropping without an external nutrient source decreased the soil C, while cropping with INM resulted in a positive build‐up of C in both labile and stable pools. On average, about 62% of total organic carbon was stabilized in the passive pool (CLL, Less Labile C + CRC, Recalcitrant C) of SOC. The increment in SOC stock was linearly (y = 0.0767x – 0.2248; R2 = 0.87, p &lt; .001) related to the system productivity. The very labile C, potassium permanganate oxidizable C and microbial biomass C fractions were the most sensitive to nutrient management. A threshold C input of 0.71 Mg C ha−1 year−1 is required to maintain antecedent SOC, which is readily supplied to the soil using the region's current cotton–greengram intercropping system. Thus, this cropping system is quite capable to maintain antecedent SOC. We conclude that, in the context of changing climates, promoting cotton–legume intercropping using locally available farmyard manure/gliricidia as a substitute for 50%‐‐Fertilizer N is a viable strategy for enhancing SOC storage while achieving sustainable productivity in semi‐arid Vertisols of Central India.

Eight-year impacts of conservation agriculture on soil quality, carbon storage, and carbon emission footprint

The conventional method of intensive tillage alters the soil environment, destroys soil aggregates, depletes soil organic carbon (SOC), emits more carbon, requires higher energy, alters microbial activities and ultimately degrades the soil health. These ill-effects of conventional tillage can be severe in rainfed soils with poor workability such as Vertisols of Central India. To minimize these negative effects of conventional tillage (CT), conservation agricultural (CA) practices such as reduced tillage (RT) and no-till (NT) with crop residue retentions are advocated as sustainable practices that can improve the soil health. Four cropping systems [soybean+pigeonpea (CS1); soybean–wheat (CS2); maize–chickpea (CS3); maize+pigeonpea (CS4)] were established as sub-plots under CT, RT and NT management. Soil samples were collected at 0–10 cm, 10–20 cm and 20–30 cm depths. The effects of 8 years of continuous use of CA were evaluated on soil physical, chemical and biological properties in Vertisol of Central India. After that, 20 key soil properties were subjected to calculating soil quality indices (SQI) in each tillage systems. Results indicated that mean weight diameter (MWD) and water-stable aggregates (WSA) were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in NT (1.57 mm and 79.4%) and RT (1.05 mm and 76.2%) than CT (0.71 mm and 63.8%) at 0–10 cm depth, respectively. The soil under NT had the highest SOC concentration (1.12%) followed by that under RT (1.02%), and the least was found in CT (0.91%) at 0–10 cm depth. The proportion of large macro-aggregates (LM) was the highest under NT than CT (P < 0.05) whereas that of micro-aggregates was highest under CT. The aggregate associated organic C (AOC) tended to decrease with the decrease of aggregate size. Soil dehydrogenase activity, fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis activity, β-glucosidase activity and easily extractable glomalin content were significantly higher under NT than CT (P < 0.05). The soil quality index was significantly highest in NT, followed by RT and CT at all soil depths. CA based practices favoured carbon storage, lowered carbon emission, foot print and soil quality compared to conventional farming. Therefore, under Vertisols, 8 years of CA practices likely to improve several soil quality indicators, allowing a positive trend for soil preservation.

Impact of Long-term Nutrient Management Practices on Physical Properties of a Vertisol in Central India

Health of any soil is influenced by its physical properties to greater extent which has been more prominent in Vertisols due to their self-till behavior. Differential application of nutrients in long-term may alter the soil properties at temporal and spatial scales. Inventory on effect of different long-term nutrient management practices on physical properties across the soil depths, especially on Vertisols of central India, is insufficient. Present study examined the long-term (48 years) effect of different combinations of organic and inorganic nutrient management practices under soybean-wheat cropping system on various physical properties (Bulk density, Particle density, Porosity and Water holding capacity) of a Vertisol in of central India. In the present study, soil sample were collected at four depths (0-15, 15-30, 30-45 and 45-60 cm) in triplicate from seven treatments (Control, 100% NP, 100% NPK, 100% NPK+FYM, 100% N, 50% NPK and 150% NPK) of permanent plots of AICRP on LTFE (initiated in 1972), Jabalpur. By differential nutrient management practices the bulk density and porosity affected significantly up to 30 cm soil depth and beyond that up to 60 cm non-significantly. At all selected soil depths, water holding capacity were significantly affected. On contrary, a non-significant effect was observed on particle density by various nutrient managements. This study indicated a positive impact of balance fertilizer application and integrated approach of nutrient management on physical properties of soil.

Irrigation and conservation agricultural practices improve crop yield, water productivity and energetics of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in Vertisols of central India

AbstractThe identification of suitable conservation agricultural (CA) practices plays a significant role in global food security. A 3‐year (2018–2020) field experiment was conducted in Vertisols of the semi‐arid tropics of central India to investigate the effects of CA practices and irrigation methods on the yield, water productivity (WP) and energetics of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). A split–split plot design was used with three treatments, namely, two irrigation methods (sprinkler and furrow), three residue loads (30%, 60% and 100%) and three planting methods (broad‐bed shaper‐cum‐planter [BBSP], zero‐till planter and seed‐cum‐fertilizer drill) with three replications each. Sprinkler irrigation significantly improved chickpea seed yield by 2% and 5% in the second (1566 kg ha−1) and third years (1555 kg ha−1) compared to furrow irrigation. During the three experimental years, the WP of chickpeas under sprinkler irrigation was significantly higher (p &lt; 0.05) by 31%, 34% and 35% compared to that under furrow irrigation. Irrigation (6027 MJ ha−1), fertilization (1805 MJ ha−1) and planting (1615 MJ ha−1) accounted for 63%–68% of the total energy input in chickpea production. Under CA practices, it is recommended that higher returns be achieved using BBSP and a 100% residue load with sprinkler irrigation.

Impact of sequential herbicides application on crop productivity, weed and nutrient dynamics in soybean under conservation agriculture in Vertisols of Central India.

Adoption of conservation agriculture (CA) is very slow due to weed infestations. The application of herbicides is the only viable option to deal with problem of weed management to adhere with basic principles of CA. A field experiment was carried out for three years to evaluate the expediency of different herbicides and their sequential applications under CA. In this study, seven treatments comprised of either alone or sequential application of pre-emergence (PE) and post-emergence (PoE) herbicides, hand weeding and weedy check were tested in soybean. Result indicated that sequential application of glyphosate at 1 kg ai ha-1 + pendimethalin at 1 kg ai ha-1as PE followed by PoE application of imazethapyr at 100 g ai ha-1 at 30 days after sowing (DAS) proved to be the best economical option in terms of plant growth parameters, crop biomass, seed yield, weed index and carbon and nutrient recycling. Pearson's correlation coefficients matrix revealed that grain yield was significantly (P<0.0001) related to weed density at harvest (r = -0.84), (WDH) (r = -0.63), weed dry biomass (WDB) (r = -0.52), weed nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) uptake (r = -0.56, r = -0.59 and r = -0.66), respectively and weed index (WI) (r = -0.96). The bivariate linear regression study of grain yield on weed control efficiency (WCI) biomass, N, P and K uptake by grain showed a clear significant (P<0.0001) dependence with R2 value of 0.53, 0.99, 0.95 and 0.98, respectively. The fitted stepwise multiple regression model also revealed that N and P uptake in grain, weed density at 20 DAS and K uptake in weed were actual predictor for grain yield. We concluded that, effective and economical weed control under CA in soybean can be achieved through sequential application of glyphosate along with pendimethalin at 1 kg ai ha-1 each PE followed by PoE use of imazethapyr at 100 g ai ha-1 at 30 DAS.

Interactive effect of tillage and crop residue management on weed dynamics, root characteristics, crop productivity, profitability and nutrient uptake in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under Vertisol of Central India.

Tillage and crop residue management play an imperative role in soil physico-chemical properties that eventually affects crop productivity. The objective of the study to find out a compatible combination of tillage and crop residue management for achieving sustainable food production by improving soil properties, providing favorable environment to crop plants. Secondly, managing crop residues effectively to reduce environmental pollution arising due to crop residue burning. With this aim, a field experiment was conducted on six years continued running experiment under conservation agricultural practices during rabi season of 2019-20 on chickpea. The experiment was comprised of five tillage operations with or without crop residue in main plot and three levels of nutrients in sub plots laid out in split plot design with three replications. Reduced Tillage with 60cm residue height (RT60) was recorded higher growth and yield attributes over conventional tillage practice that attributed to economic yield enhancement. The percent yield increment under NT and RT with 30 and 60cm height residue retention varied from 6.91% to 9.67% over conventional tillage. Maximum grain (2380 kg ha-1) and biological output (5762 kg ha-1) was recorded under RT60 (T4), which ascribed to higher net return (Rs 60551 ha-1) and benefit-cost ratio (2.97). The augmentation in net monetary benefit among tillage systems was lies between 24.32% to 37.78% over conventional tillage. The seed protein content ranged between 20.38 to 21.69% among the treatments. Moreover, total N uptake was maximum under RT60, while total P and K uptake was higher in No Tillage with 30cm residue height (T1). No-Tillage with 60cm residue height (NT60) recorded relatively higher soil moisture content (SMC) (22.71 and 15.40%). Treatment NT30 accrued relatively higher value of soil bulk density (1.42 Mg m-3) followed by NT60 and RT60 in comparison to conventional tillage (1.34 Mg m-3). In conclusion, NT and RT with 60cm residue height along with STCR (N3) nutrient dose was found effective for sustainable food production.