Assessment of soil quality under long term soil nutrient management practices in rainfed Alfisol and Oxisols at Phulbani.

Abstract

Soil quality was assessed under long-term soil and nutrient management treatments being practiced at Phulbani center of All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRPDA). In experiment 1 under rice-horse-gram system, the RSQI (Relative Soil Quality Index) values as influenced by soil-nutrient management ranged from 0.53 (100% RDF) to 1.0 (50% RDF+50% FYM), which confirmed the importance of conjunctive use of organic and inorganic sources of nutrients. In Pigeon pea (Asha (ICPL-87119) + Rice (ZHU 11–26) system, among the set of 9 nutrient management treatments), 30 kg N through gliricidia (GL)+15 kg N through chemical fertilisers (CF) resulted in highest RSQI of 1.00 and proved superior. In this set, other treatments which maintained RSQI more than 0.80 and indicated considerable aggrading effect on soil quality were: 30 kg N farm yard manure (FYM) +15 kg N (CF) (0.88), 20 kg N (GL) + 25 kg N (CF) (0.82), 20 kg N (FYM) + 25 kg N (CF) (0.82), Organic (GL) 45 kg N (0.82). In experiment 3, while evaluating the INM treatments for rice, blackgram and horsegram, it was found that the RSQI across the treatments varied from 0.55 in 25 kg N (FYM) to 1.00 (15 kg N (FYM)+20 kg N (inorganic)). In experiment 4, a combination of 15 kg N (FYM) + 10 kg N (GL) gave RSQI as high as 0.70. The RSQI across the treatments varied from 0.57 to 1.00, the highest being in 50% (CF) + 50% N (GL) treatment (1.00) followed by 100% RDF (CF) (80:60:80 N-P2O5-K2O ha−1) (0.70). In experiment 5, the RSQI values as influenced by soil and nutrient management treatments varied from 0.56 (LT + interculture+ herbicide +100% N (CF) to 1.0 (CT+ Interculture + 100% N organic)). Other equally important aggrading treatments were found to be LT+ Interculture+ herbicide +100% N organic (0.98), LT+ interculture + herbicide + 50% N (CF) + 50% N organic (0.88) and CT+ Interculture + 50% N (CF) + 50% N organic (0.87). Thus, the findings of the present study would help in screening the best soil and nutrient management treatments for different crops and cropping systems from the perspective of overall soil quality and productivity improvement.