Journal
JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE AND PLANT NUTRITION
Volume 22, Issue 2, Pages 1193-1214Publisher
SPRINGER INT PUBL AG
DOI: 10.1007/s42729-021-00723-6
Keywords
Crop residue mulching; Carbon stock; Hydrogel; Soil health; System productivity; Zero tillage; Zn solubilizer
Categories
Funding
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi
- Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, New Delhi
Ask authors/readers for more resources
In semi-arid ecologies of south Asia, residue mulching in a pigeonpea-wheat cropping system and zinc fertilization practices can enhance crop productivity and soil health.
Conventional tillage has led to deteriorated soil health in semi-arid ecologies of south Asia. Sole- and dual-crop basis residue mulching in a predominant pigeonpea-wheat cropping system (PWCS) of the region may boost crop productivity and soil health. Widespread Zn deficiency also invokes for developing sound Zn fertilization practices (ZFPs) for improved Zn bioavailability and crop productivity. We assessed the comparative performance of single- and double-crop basis residue mulching + hydrogel in main plots, and the ZFPs in sub-plots in split-plot design under a zero-tilled PWCS in semi-arid agro-ecology. Dual-crop basis residue mulching + hydrogel exhibited similar to 17.1-22.3% higher system productivity with improved rhizo-modulation and soil health over sole-crop residue mulching and no-residue mulchings in a zero-tilled PWCS. Dual-crop basis residue mulching (8 t ha(-1) year(-1)) + hydrogel (2.5 kg ha(-1)) maintained significantly higher soil organic carbon (4.4 g kg(-1)); soil organic carbon stock (9.06 t ha(-1)); nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and micronutrients; and soil biological parameters compared to sole-crop residue mulching (4 t ha(-1) year(-1)). Interestingly, soil physico-chemical and biological properties and carbon stock showed an improvement while enhancing residue covering from 4 to 8 t ha(-1) year(-1) compared to no residues. Among ZFPs, 5 kg Zn ha(-1) + Zn solubilizer (Bacillus endophyticus) exhibited 7.4-13% higher system productivity and soil health. Correlation analysis exhibited significant positive correlation (p < 0.01) amongst system-productivity and soil-health parameters. Double-crop basis residue mulching + hydrogel along with 5 kg Zn ha(-1) + Zn solubilizer improved the soil health with optimized root development and hence harnessed higher system productivity in PWCS. Likewise, pigeonpea residue mulching proved more beneficial than wheat residue mulching in succeeding crops in realizing higher system productivity and soil health, where otherwise livestock inevitably need crop residues as quality fodder in semi-arid agro-ecologies.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available