Vol. 17 No. 3
Biological properties of soil as influenced by land use practices and soil depths in Vertisols under Mahakaushal region of Madhya Pradesh
Author(s): A. SURYAWANSHI, H.K. RAI, G.S. TAGORE AND C. MAZUMDER
Abstract: A study was conducted to assess the vertical variations in biological properties of soil as influenced by land use practices and soil depths in Vertisols after harvest of Kharif and Rabi seasons of 2015-16 and 2016-17. Soil samples were collected from the fields practiced with seven land use practices at Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) Research Farm, Lakhnwara, Jabalpur (M.P) India. For statistical analysis of data in split-plot design, land-use practices were considered as main plot i.e. L1: Uncultivated, L2: rice-wheat system with CT, L3: rice-wheat system with CA, L4: soybean-wheat system with CT, L5: soybean-wheat system with CA, L6: maize-wheat system with CT and L7: maize-wheat system with CA and soil depth i.e. 0-5, 05-15 and 15-30 cm as sub-plot treatments with three replications. It was found that highest amount of mineralizable carbon in soil was (35.68, 36.29, 37.15 and 37.82 mg kg-1, respectively) obtained in rice-wheat system with CA and lowest values (28.22, 27.67, 27.61 and 27.80 mg kg-1) in maize-wheat system with CT land use practices. However, the data further revealed that highest values (143.78, 153.44, 148.14 and 160.41 µg c g-1) of MBC in soil were recorded in uncultivated and lowest (119.33, 114.59, 118.64 and 121.83 µg c g-1) in rice-wheat system with CT treatments.Data indicated that the significantly highest (39.7, 32.3, 36.6 and 33.1ìg TPF h-1 g-1, respectively) dehydrogenase enzyme activity was recorded in uncultivated plots as compared to land use practices.Therefore,it was also noted that mineralizable carbon, MBC and dehydrogenase activity content in soil was decreased significantly with increasing soil depth having highest value in 0-5 cm and lowest in 15-30 cm depths over the seasons and years. Whereas, interaction effects of land use practices and depth of soil was statistically not significant during both the seasons and years.
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