Assessing soil properties and nutrient availability under conservation agriculture practices in a reclaimed sodic soil in cereal-based systems of North-West India

• Published in: Archiv für Acker- und Pflanzenbau und Bodenkunde 2018-03, Vol.64 (4), p.531-545
• Main Authors: Jat, H. S., Datta, Ashim, Sharma, P. C., Kumar, Virender, Yadav, A. K., Choudhary, Madhu, Choudhary, Vishu, Gathala, M. K., Sharma, D. K., Jat, M. L., Yaduvanshi, N. P. S., Singh, Gurbachan, McDonald, A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural conservation; Agricultural practices; Agriculture; Agrochemicals; available macro and micro nutrients; Bulk density; Cereal based systems; Cereal crops; Conservation; conservation agriculture; Corn; Cropping systems; Environmental degradation; Fertilizers; Infiltration; Micronutrients; Nutrient availability; nutrient omission study; Nutrients; Organic soils; Oryza; Penetration; Penetration resistance; Physical properties; Rice; Sodic soils; Soil conservation; Soil degradation; Soil density; Soil improvement; Soil properties; Soil quality; Soil resistance; Sustainability; Wheat; Zinc
• ISSN: 0365-0340; 1476-3567
• DOI: 10.1080/03650340.2017.1359415

Soil quality degradation associated with resources scarcity is the major concern for the sustainability of conventional rice-wheat system in South Asia. Replacement of conventional management practices with conservation agriculture (CA) is required to improve soil quality. A field experiment was conducted to assess the effect of CA on soil physical (bulk density, penetration resistance, infiltration) and chemical (N, P, K, S, micronutrients) properties after 4 years in North-West India. There were four scenarios (Sc) namely conventional rice-wheat cropping system (Sc1); partial CA-based rice-wheat-mungbean system (RWMS) (Sc2); CA-based RWMS (Sc3); and CA-based maize-wheat-mungbean (Sc4) system. Sc2 (1.52 Mg m −3 ) showed significantly lower soil bulk density (BD). In Sc3 and Sc4, soil penetration resistance (SPR) was reduced and infiltration was improved compared to Sc1. Soil organic C was significantly higher in Sc4 than Sc1. Available N was 33% and 68% higher at 0-15 cm depth in Sc3 and Sc4, respectively, than Sc1. DTPA extractable Zn and Mn were significantly higher under Sc3 and Sc4 compared to Sc1. Omission study showed 30% saving in N and 50% in K in wheat after four years. Therefore, CA improved soil properties and nutrient availability and have potential to reduce external fertilizer inputs in long run.