Shrikant Badole

Effect of Silicon Fertilization on Growth, Yield, and Nutrient Uptake of Rice

ABSTRACT A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of silicon (diatomaceous earth, DE) fertilization on growth, yield, and nutrient uptake of rice during the kharif season of 2012 and 2013 in the new alluvial zone of West Bengal, India. Results showed that application of silicon significantly increased grain and straw yield as well as yield-attributing parameters such as plant height (cm), number of tillers m−2, number of panicle m−2, and 1000-grain weight (g) of rice. The greatest grain and straw yields were observed in the treatment T6 (DE at 600 kg ha−1 in combination with standard fertilizer practice (SFP). The concentration and uptake of silicon, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in grain and straw were also greater under this treatment compared to others. It was concluded that application of DE at 600 kg ha−1 along with SFP resulted increased grain, straw, and uptake of NPK.

Impact of Long-Term Application of Organics, Biological, and Inorganic Fertilizers on Microbial Activities in Rice-Based Cropping System

ABSTRACT Organics, biological, and inorganic fertilizers play a crucial role for improving crop yield and soil properties. Accordingly, we assessed their impact on yield, microbial activities, and transformations of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S) in soils under a 12-year-old intensively cultivated rice (Oriza sativa L.), mustard (Brassica juncea L.), sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) system with sole inorganic (NPK); NPK + farmyard manure (NPKF); NPK + green manure (NPKG) (Sesbania sesban L.), and NPK + green manure + bio-fertilizer (NPKGB) (Azotobacter chroococcum+ pseudomonas putida) treatments in sub-tropical India. The system yield was much higher with NPKF (23%) and NPKGB (18%) than that with NPK. Organic supplementation had a favorable influence on soil microbial biomass C (Cmic), N (Nmic), and activities of extracellular enzymes. Results of principal component and multiple regression analyses showed significant influence of Cmic on system yield (R2 = 91, p = 0.001) and S availability (R2 = 62, p = 0.001). Similarly, mineralizable N and acid phosphatase could predict significantly soil available N (R2 = 85, p = 0.001) and P (R2 = 51; p = 0.001), respectively. Results thus indicated that integrated nutrient management (NPKF/G) improved system yield, nutrient accumulation, and microbial activities in soils.

Liming Influences Forms of Acidity in Soils Belonging to Different Orders under Subtropical India

A pot experiment was conducted to study the influence of liming on changes in different forms of acidity in relation to soil properties. Thirty-six surface (0–15 cm deep) soil samples were collected from different soil orders, namely Entisols, Inceptisols, Alfisols, and Entisols of coastal saline zone of West Bengal, India, and incubated for 21 days with three doses of lime [i.e., no lime (L0), half lime (L1/2), and full lime (L1)]. Results of analysis of soil showed that there were significant increases in pH in water (pHw) and pH in 0.02 M calcium chloride (CaCl2) (pHCa) (1.3 and 1.5 units) and decrease in total acidity, hydrolytic acidity, exchange acidity, electrostatically bound aluminium (EBAl3+), and electrostatically bound hydrogen (EBH+) upon liming being from 1.53 to 0.57, 1.40 to 0.54, 0.13 to 0.03, 0.08 to 0.01, and 0.06 to 0.02 cmol (p+) kg−1, respectively. The decrease in values of all the forms of acidity was greater in L1 than in L1/2 treatment under Entisols of the terai zone, followed by Entisols of coastal saline zone, Inceptisols, and Alfisols. The forms of acidity showed significant positive correlation with each other but negative correlation with pHw and pHCa, except for EBH+.

Soil carbon pools under long-term rice-wheat cropping system in Inceptisols of Indian Himalayas

ABSTRACT Knowledge about soil organic carbon (SOC) stock and its allocation into different pools is important for global food and environmental security. Accordingly, an attempt is made in the present study to investigate into the dynamics of SOC pools i.e. total soil organic carbon (TOC), oxidisable organic carbon (OC) and its different fractions viz. very labile (CVL), labile (CL), less labile (CLL) and non-labile (CNL) in soils under a 26 years old long-term experiment with rice (Oryza sativa L) – wheat (Triticum aestivum L) cropping system on Inceptisols under humid agro-climatic region of India with different soil management practices (control, 100% recommended dose of NPK, and 50% recommended dose of NPK + 50% N through farmyard manure (FYM). Of the several pools analyzed, a higher proportion of C was found in labile pool followed by very labile, non-labile, and less labile ones constituting about 46, 26.5, 20 and 7.3% of the total organic C at surface soil. The NPK+FYM treatment was found to have higher SOC pools, lability index (LI), recalcitrance indices and stratification ratio as compared to others. Results indicated that balanced fertilization with inorganic and organics is important for maintaining overall sustainability of the rice-wheat system.

Residual effect of crop residues on growth, yield attributes and soil properties of wheat under rice-wheat cropping system.

Residual effect of crop residues along with green manure, microbial culture and inorganic fertilizer on yield and soil properties of wheat grown after rice were studied. The following treatments such as control, straw burn (5 t ha−1), straw incorporation (5 t ha−1), straw (5 t ha−1) + 25% N of recommended dose, straw (5 t ha−1) + green manure (5 t ha−1) and straw (5 t ha−1) + microbial culture (a cocktail of Aspergillus, Trichoderma, Pleurotus and Phanerochaete) were imposed on rice and their residual effects on the yield of wheat and nutrients content in soils were evaluated. Results showed that application of straw (5 t ha−1) + green manure (5 t ha−1) recorded the highest yield of wheat followed by the straw (5 t ha−1) + 25%N of recommended dose > straw (5 t ha−1) + microbial culture > straw incorporation (5 t ha−1) > straw burn (5 t ha−1) > control. Availability of soil nutrients particularly N, P, K and organic carbon also increased following the above trend.