Citation Information

  • Title : Long term management of soil fertility and crop productivity in Alfisols of dryland.
  • Source : Environment and Ecology
  • Publisher : MKK Publication
  • Volume : 27
  • Issue : 2
  • Pages : 713-717
  • Year : 2009
  • Conference Name : http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/20093202178.html?freeview=true
  • Document Type : Journal Article
  • Language : English
  • Authors:
    • Shankar, M. A.
    • Murukannappa
    • Gajanan, G. N.
    • Ganapathi
  • Climates: Tropical (A). Tropical savannah (Aw).
  • Cropping Systems: Cereal crops. Crop-pasture rotations. Legumes.
  • Countries: India.

Summary

A long term field experiment was conducted on cereal-legume cropping sequence leaving summer fallow at Bangalore during 1993 to 2006 in light textured red sandy loam soil to study the effect of long term use of glyricidia, farm yard manure and NPK fertilizers on soil fertility, crop productivity and nutrients losses. Plots of 3,000 m 2 each and having 2.5% slopes were delineated for each treatment. Appropriate instrumentation was done to quantity the nutrients loss. Continuous use of glyricidia to supply recommended N+50% recommended NPK recorded 16.8 and 142.6% higher yield followed by FYM and NPK in equal proportion (3.22 and 88.6%) in fingermillet and maize respectively as compared to recommended NPK (2,572 kg/ha and 1,150 kg/ha). FYM and 50% NPK recorded 35.8% higher soybean yield followed by FYM with 25.6% as compared to recommended NPK (453 kg/ha). Highest loss of OM, N, P and K were recorded under control and lowest losses were recorded in FYM and NPK in equal proportion, but least P loss (0.39 kg/ha) was recorded with 50% N with through glyricidia+50% NPK. In soybean, highest loss of OM, N, P and K were recorded in control and least loss of OM, P and K in FYM to supply 50% N+50% NPK. But least loss of N was in glyricidia to supply 50%+50% recommended NPK. In maize, highest loss of OM, N, P and K were recorded in control followed by recommended NPK. Irrespective of the crops the mean of seven years indicated that highest loss of OM, N, P and K were under control treatment Least loss of OM and N occurred under glyricidia to supply 50%+50% recommended NPK. But least losses P and K were recorded in NPK. Analysis of surface soil samples (0-15 cm) indicated that continuous addition of FYM or glyricidia to supply recommended N alone or along with NPK over a period of 13 years increased OC, biomass carbon and mean weight diameter as compared to NPK alone. Reduction in soil pH in recommended NPK from 5.6 to 4.5 and improvement in organics, increased available N, available K, sulfur, Zn, Cu Mn and Fe in organics alone or along with NPK as compared to recommended NPK.

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