Table_1_Development of organic nutrients management system for profitable and soil-supportive French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) farming in North Eastern Himalayas, India.DOCX

French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivation faces multipronged challenges of low farm productivity, poor economic returns, and soil health deterioration in the hilly ecosystem of India. Hence, the development of a cost-effective and soil-supportive French bean cultivation technology is highly warranted. Thus, a field experiment was conducted for two consecutive seasons in the Sikkim region of the Indian Himalayas to assess the impact of different organic nutrient sources on the production potential, profitability, and soil health of French bean. Eight organic nutrient management practices, viz., farmers' practice, 100% recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN) through FYM, 100% RDN through mixed compost (MC), 100% RDN through vermicompost (VC), 50% RDN through FYM + 50% RDN through MC, 50% RDN through FYM + 50% RDN through VC, 50% RDN through MC + 50% RDN through VC, and 33% RDN through FYM + 33% RDN through MC + 33% RDN through VC, were assigned in a three times replicated randomized complete block design. The results revealed that the supply of 33% RDN through FYM + 33% RDN through MC + 33% RDN through VC 33% recorded the highest pod yield (8.30 and 8.00 Mg ha−1) and net returns (1,831 and 1,718 US$ ha−1). Furthermore, the supply of 33% RDN through FYM + 33% RDN through MC + 33% RDN through VC 33% also had a positive impact on soil health. It was shown that an equal supply of RDN through FYM + MC + VC increases soil pH by 8.35%, SOC by 5.45%, available N by 6.32%, available P by 16%, available K by 9.92%, and micronutrients by 5–7% over farmers' practice. Thus, the supply of RDN through the integration of FYM + MC + VC in equal proportion is an economically robust and soil-supportive nutrients management practice for organic French bean production in the hilly ecosystem of North East India.</p

Data_Sheet_1_Double zero-tillage and foliar-P nutrition coupled with bio-inoculants enhance physiological photosynthetic characteristics and resilience to nutritional and environmental stresses in maize–wheat rotation.PDF

Conventionally tilled maize–wheat cropping system (MWCS) is an emerging cereal production system in semi-arid region of south-Asia. This system involves excessive tillage operations that result in numerous resource- and production-vulnerabilities besides impeding environmental-stresses. Likewise, phosphorus is a vital nutrient that limits crop growth and development. It’s a matter of great concern when ∼80% of Indian soils are low to medium in available-P due to its sparing solubility, resulting in crop stress and low yields. Hence, crop productivity, photosynthetic parameters and resilience to nutritional and environmental stresses were assessed in a MWCS using four crop-establishment and tillage management (CETM) practices [FBCT-FBCT (Flat bed-conventional tillage both in maize and wheat); RBCT-RBZT (Raised bed-CT in maize and raised bed-zero tillage in wheat); FBZT-FBZT (FBZT both in maize and wheat); PRBZT-PRBZT (Permanent raised bed-ZT both in maize and wheat)], and five P-fertilization practices [P100 (100% soil applied-P); P50+2FSP (50% soil applied-P + 2 foliar-sprays of P through 2% DAP both in maize and wheat); P50+PSB+AM-fungi; P50+PSB+AMF+2FSP; and P0 (100% NK with no-P)] in split-plot design replicated-thrice. The results indicated that double zero-tilled PRBZT–PRBZT system significantly enhanced the grain yield (6.1; 5.4 t ha–1), net photosynthetic rate (Pn) (41.68; 23.33 μ mol CO2 m–2 s–1), stomatal conductance (SC) (0.44; 0.26 mol H2O m–2 s–1), relative water content (RWC) (83.3; 77.8%), and radiation-use efficiency (RUE) (2.9; 2.36 g MJ–1) by 12.8–15.8 and 8.5–44.4% in maize and wheat crops, respectively over conventional tilled FBCT–FBCT. P50+PSB+AMF+2FSP conjugating soil applied-P, microbial-inoculants and foliar-P, had significantly higher Pn, SC, RUE and RWC over P100 besides saving ∼34.7% fertilizer-P under MWCS. P50+PSB+AMF+2FSP practice also had higher NDVI, PAR, transpiration efficiency and PHI over P100. Whereas lower stomatal limitation index (Ls) was observed under PRBZT–PRBZT system as compared to the conventional FBCT–FBCT system indicating that P is the limiting factor but not stomata. Hence, optimum P supply through foliar P-fertilization along with other sources resulted in higher grain yield by 21.4% over control. Overall, double zero-tilled PRBZT–PRBZT with crop residue retention at 6 t/ha per year, as well as P50+PSB+AMF+2FSP in MWCS, may prove beneficial in enhancing the crop productivity and, thereby, bolstering food security in semi-arid south-Asia region.</p

Table_1_Elucidating the impact of boron fertilization on soil physico-chemical and biological entities under cauliflower-cowpea-okra cropping system in an Eastern Himalayan acidic Inceptisol.docx

Information on the role of boron (B) on soil physico-chemical and biological entities is scarce, and the precise mechanism in soil is still obscure. Present field investigation aimed to assessing the implication of direct and residual effect of graded levels of applied-B on soil biological entities and its concomitant impact on crop productivity. The treatments comprised of five graded levels of B with four replications. To assess the direct effect of B-fertilization, cauliflower was grown as a test crop wherein, B-fertilization was done every year. For assessment of succeeding residual effects of B-fertilization, cowpea and okra were grown as test crops and, B-fertilization was phased out in both crops. The 100% recommended dose of NPK (RDF) along with FYM was uniformly applied to all crops under CCOCS. Results indicated that the direct effect of B had the edge over residual effect of B in affecting soil physico-chemical and biological entities under CCOCS. Amongst the graded levels of B, application of the highest B level (2 kg ha–1) was most prominent in augmenting microbiological pools in soil at different crop growth stages. The order of B treatments in respect of MBC, MBN, and soil respiration at different crop growth stages was 2.0 kg B ha–1 > 1.5 kg B ha–1 > 1.0 kg B ha–1 > 0.5 kg B ha–1 > 0 kg B ha–1, respectively. Moreover, maximum recoveries of potentially mineralizable-C (PMC) and potentially mineralizable-N (PMN) were noticed under 2 kg B ha–1. Analogous trend was recorded in soil microbial populations at different crop growth stages. Similarly, escalating B levels up to 2 kg B ha–1 exhibited significantly greater soil enzymatic activities viz., arylsulphatase (AS), dehydrogenase (DH), fluorescein diacetate (FDA) and phosphomonoesterase (PMA), except urease enzyme (UE) which showed an antagonistic effect of applied-B in soil. Greater geometric mean enzyme activity (GMEA) and soil functional diversity index were recorded under 2 kg B ha–1 in CCOCS, at all crop growth stages over control. The inclusive results indicated that different soil physico-chemical and biological properties CCOCS can be invariably improved by the application of graded levels of B up to 2 kg B ha–1 in an acid Inceptisol.</p