Short Term Changes in Soil Quality Parameters in Cereal Based Cropping System Under Conservation Agriculture

Abstract

In Indo-gangetic plain cereal based cropping system is dominant system. Agricultural sustainability depends on soil quality which is considered to be a key element of Conservation Agriculture. Soil quality assessment is based on long term and short term changes. Short term changes provide an idea to manage soil quality for sustainable crop production. The present investigation was conduct to find short term changes in soil quality parameters in cereal based cropping system under conservation agriculture. Field experiments were conducted during 20 I 0 and 20 II at CSISA research platform of !CAR - RCER Patna in split- split plot design with three replications. Cropping system rice-wheat and rice-maze were taken as main plot, residue management with residue and without residue application as subplot and four crop establishment techniques as sub-sub plot. Soil of experimental site was silty clay in texture, low in organic carbon and available nitrogen, higher in available phosphorus and medium in potash. The soil was near to normal with 0.38 dsm·• electrical conductivity. For all the crops recommended doses of NPK were applied and all the measures for plant protection were followed. Rice grain remained unaffected under different cropping system and residue management while a significant effect of crop establishment techniques was noticed. Maximum rice grain yield statistically at par to E4 and significantly higher than E2 and E3 was found with E1• Maize and wheat grain yields were significantly affected by residue management and crop establishment techniques. Grain yield of both crops was significantly higher with E4 than E1 crop establishment technique. Soil physical chemical and biological properties improved with residue management and crop establishment techniques while no clear cut effect of cropping system was noticed. Physical and biological properties were better with E4 than E1 crop establishment technique. Rice-maize was found comparatively exhaustive system than rice-wheat. Finally it can be concluded from the work that residue management and E4 are better practices for conservation agriculture.