Vol. 12 No. 1
Soil microbial health and crop yield under organically managed rice-rice sequence
Author(s): S. PRADHAN, S. K MISHRA, C. S. KAR AND S. MOHARANA
Abstract:
A field experiment was undertaken during 2013-14 in organic Block of Central Research Station, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology. The soil of the experimental site was sandy loam in texture with pH 6.35, BD 1.58 t m-3, high in organic carbon (9.4 g kg-1) medium in available N (376.0 kg ha-1), P2O5 (34.4 kg ha-1) and K2O (221.3 kg ha-1). The experiment was laid out in randomized block design in rice-rice cropping sequence taking seven organic nutrient management treatments (different combinations of Dhanicha, FYM, Vermicompost and Panchagavya
in kharif and same combinations of treatments except Dhanicha in summer) in three replications in two seasons. The treatment receiving Dhanicha as green manuring crop, FYM and vermicompost (split) in kharif and corresponding treatment in summer resulted the maximum average crop yield of 4.99 t ha-1, straw yield of 5.60 t ha-1 and net profit of Rs. 26740.5 ha-1. Similarly, the said treatment obtained maximum microbial population (total heterotrophic bacteria 186 CFU × 104 g-1soil, actinomycetes 92 CFU × 104 g-1 soil, fungi 41 CFU × 103 g-1 soil, dehydrogenase activity 0.74 μg TPF g-1 soil hr-1) and microbial biomass carbon (231.34 μg C g-1 soil). Rice yield of the system exhibited linear, positive and significant correlation with total heterotrophic bacteria (0.881**), actinomycetes (0.818*), microbial biomass carbon (0.907**) and organic carbon (0.816*).
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