A field experiment was conducted during the kharif 2022 and rabi 2022–2023 seasons at the Research Farm of Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India, to evaluate the effects of different nutrient-management strategies on crop productivity, system productivity, production efficiency, land-use efficiency, and economics of a maize (Zea mays L.)–mustard (Brassica juncea L.) cropping system under semi-arid conditions. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with seven nutrient-management treatments comprising 100% of the recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF), organic farming, natural farming, integrated nutrient management (INM), site-specific nutrient management (SSNM), farmers’ practice, and 75% RDF integrated with green manuring, with three replications. Site-specific nutrient management (SSNM), comprising 100% of the recommended nutrients supplemented with Zn @ 5 kg ha⁻¹, B @ 1 kg ha⁻¹, S @ 60 kg ha⁻¹, and Fe @ 1 kg ha⁻¹, recorded the highest growth and yield attributes in both crops. In maize, SSNM produced the maximum plant height (205.46 cm), grain yield (4660 kg ha⁻¹), straw yield (9735 kg ha⁻¹), and biological yield (14396 kg ha⁻¹). Similarly, in mustard, it recorded the highest plant height (248.77 cm), siliquae plant⁻¹ (353.33), seed yield (2026 kg ha⁻¹), stover yield (4968 kg ha⁻¹), and biological yield (6994 kg ha⁻¹). The same treatment also resulted in the highest mustard equivalent yield (3702 kg ha⁻¹), production efficiency (14.76 kg ha⁻¹ day⁻¹), and land-use efficiency (68.68%). Economic analysis revealed that SSNM generated the maximum gross and net returns from both maize (₹128,441 and ₹77,051 ha⁻¹, respectively) and mustard (₹127,829 and ₹83,417 ha⁻¹, respectively), whereas the highest benefit:cost ratio in mustard (1.96) was recorded under 75% RDF integrated with green manuring. The findings demonstrate that site-specific nutrient management integrating balanced macro- and micronutrient application substantially enhanced crop productivity, system efficiency, and profitability of the maize–mustard cropping system and can be recommended as a sustainable nutrient management strategy for the semi-arid Bundelkhand region.
Artika Singh, Shivank Prajapati, R. Choudhary et al.· International Journal of Pla...· 0 citations
A field experiment was conducted during the rabi season of 2020–21 at the Research Farm of Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India, to evaluate the effects of integrated nutrient management practices on the growth, yield attributes, productivity, and economic returns of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea). The experiment was laid out in a randomised block design with three replications and nine nutrient management treatments, namely T₁: RDF, T₂: 50% RDF, T₃: 75% RDF + vermicompost (VC), T₄: RDF + B, T₅: RDF + Zn, T₆: RDF + Fe, T₇: RDF + Zn + B + Fe + Mn, T₈: RDF + bioregulator (BR), and T₉: RDF + Mn + BR. The recommended fertiliser dose (RDF) comprised 80 kg N, 40 kg P₂O₅, 40 kg K₂O, and 20 kg S ha⁻¹. The results showed that the nutrient management treatments significantly influenced the growth, yield attributes, and yield of Indian mustard. Treatment T₃ (75% RDF + VC at 5 t ha⁻¹) recorded the greatest plant height (201.0 cm), numbers of primary branches (7.0 plant⁻¹) and secondary branches (16.0 plant⁻¹), number of siliquae (213 plant⁻¹), and number of seeds per siliqua (18.43). The same treatment also produced the maximum seed yield (1877 kg ha⁻¹), stover yield (5130 kg ha⁻¹), and biological yield (7007 kg ha⁻¹), which were significantly higher than those of most other treatments. The harvest index did not differ significantly among the treatments. The economic analysis indicated that T₃ generated the highest gross return (₹102,670.5 ha⁻¹), net return (₹72,988.5 ha⁻¹), and benefit–cost ratio (2.46). By contrast, the lowest seed yield and economic returns were recorded under T₈ (RDF + BR) and T₉ (RDF + Mn + BR). The improved performance of T₃ may be associated with the combined effects of vermicompost and inorganic fertilisers on nutrient availability, soil biological activity, and nutrient-use efficiency. Under the conditions of this experiment, the integrated application of 75% RDF with vermicompost at 5 t ha⁻¹ was the most effective nutrient management treatment for improving the growth, yield attributes, seed yield, and profitability of Indian mustard in the semi-arid Bundelkhand region.
Artika Singh, Shivank Prajapati, R. Choudhary et al.· Journal of Advances in Biolo...· 0 citations
Sustainable nutrient management practices are essential for maintaining crop productivity while improving soil biological health and ecosystem functioning. However, information on comparative assessment between crop productivity and soil biological functioning under natural, organic, and integrated farming systems in diversified cropping systems of the Central Himalayan foothills remains limited. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted during 2022–24 under a maize + fodder cowpea–wheat + chickpea cropping system in the foothills of the Central Himalayas to evaluate the effects of natural farming (NF), organic farming (OF), integrated crop management with botanical pesticides (ICM-B), integrated crop management with chemical pesticides (ICM-C), and a control treatment (
Sesbania
alone) on crop productivity, soil microbial populations, enzymatic activities, and microbial biomass dynamics. The results revealed significant (p < 0.05) differences among nutrient management practices. Among the treatments, ICM-B recorded the highest maize grain yield (4838 and 5008 kg ha
-
¹) and wheat grain yield (1791 and 1802 kg ha
-
¹) during 2022–23 and 2023–24, respectively, remaining statistically comparable with ICM-C. Similarly, chickpea grain yield was maximum under ICM-B (1086 and 1109 kg ha
-
¹). In contrast, OF consistently enhanced soil biological properties. The highest bacterial population (23.51 × 10
6
and 31.05 × 10
6
CFU g
-
¹ soil), fungal population (6.85 × 10³ and 6.30 × 10³ CFU g
-
¹ soil), and actinomycetes population (19.88 × 10
4
and 23.38 × 10
4
CFU g
-
¹ soil) were recorded under OF during
Kharif
and
Rabi
seasons, respectively. Organic farming also exhibited superior enzymatic activities, including urease (40.76 and 39.68 µg urea g
-
¹ soil h
-
¹), dehydrogenase (123.39 and 116.58 µg TPF g
-
¹ soil 24 h
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¹), alkaline phosphatase (106.97 and 95.85 µg PNP g
-
¹ h
-
¹), and acid phosphatase (113.12 and 105.34 µg PNP g
-
¹ h
-
¹), along with higher microbial respiration, microbial biomass carbon, and microbial biomass nitrogen. Correlation analysis demonstrated strong positive relationships among microbial populations, enzymatic activities, microbial biomass parameters, and soil respiration, indicating the close linkage between soil biological functioning and nutrient cycling processes. Although NF and OF resulted in lower crop productivity than integrated management practices, the substantial improvements in soil biological health indicate their potential to enhance long-term soil resilience, nutrient-use efficiency, and ecosystem sustainability. Overall, ICM-B proved most effective in maximizing crop productivity, whereas OF significantly improved soil microbial abundance, enzymatic activity, and biological health. These findings demonstrate that integrating organic resource management with sustainable nutrient management practices can support climate-smart agriculture by enhancing productivity, strengthening soil resilience, and promoting long-term sustainability of cropping systems in the Himalayan foothill region.
Shobhana Singh, D. K. Singh, Subhash Chandra et al.· Frontiers in Agronomy· 0 citations
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