Sustainable Cropping Sequences to Improve Soil Fertility and Microbiological Properties

Ankit, Dhram Prakash, Sunita Sheoran, Parmod Kumar Yadav, Dev Raj, Rachna, Rajeev Kumar Gupta (), Salah El-Hendawy and Mohamed A. Mattar ()
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Ankit: Department of Soil Science, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, Haryana, India
Dhram Prakash: Department of Soil Science, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, Haryana, India
Sunita Sheoran: Department of Soil Science, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, Haryana, India
Parmod Kumar Yadav: Department of Soil Science, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, Haryana, India
Dev Raj: Department of Soil Science, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, Haryana, India
Rachna: Department of Soil Science, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, Haryana, India
Rajeev Kumar Gupta: Department of Agronomy, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar 144001, Punjab, India
Salah El-Hendawy: Department of Plant Production, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed A. Mattar: Department of Agricultural Engineering, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 22, 1-28

Abstract: Different cropping systems and nutrient management techniques impact the microbiological characteristics of soil and nutrient availability for plants. This study assessed four cropping systems—rice–wheat, cotton–wheat, pearl millet–wheat, and pearl millet–mustard in Hisar district, Haryana, using 80 soil samples (20 from each system) collected in April 2022 after the Rabi crop harvest. The cotton–wheat system had the highest accessible nitrogen (N) at 155.9 kg ha −1 , while both the cotton–wheat (59.3 kg ha −1 ) and rice–wheat (54.0 kg ha −1 ) systems had higher available sulfur (S) levels compared to pearl millet–wheat (41.2 kg ha −1 ). Pearl millet–wheat also showed 12.4% higher potassium (K) levels than rice–wheat. The rice–wheat system exhibited the highest phosphorus (P) concentration at 54.3 kg ha −1 and greater DTPA-extractable micronutrients. Soils from the rice–wheat system had higher DTPA-extractable micronutrients (Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu) and superior microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN, 54.7 mg kg −1 ), urease (37.9 µg NH 4 + -N g −1 h −1 ), and alkaline phosphatase activity (APA, 269.7 µg PNP g −1 h −1 ) compared to other systems. Canonical discriminant functions explained 88.1% of the variability among cropping systems, while principal component analysis identified available P, DTPA-extractable Zn, and Cu as key soil quality indicators, accounting for 66.9% of the variance. These insights can inform policymakers on promoting effective cropping systems and sustainable soil health in northwestern India.

Keywords: available micronutrients; DTPA-extractable micronutrients; microbial biomass nitrogen; urease; alkaline phosphatase activity; cropping systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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