Impact Fly Ash on Nutrient Status of Wetland Rice Cultivation

The phrase, “Rice is life” aptly describes the importance of rice in food as well in nutritional security, particularly in Asian countries. Soil nutrient management in case of rice cultivation mainly focus on the major nutrient application but rice plants require high quantity of silicate and micro nutrient but the cost is not affordable. Hence, Coal combustion fly ash has a high available Si content, alkaline pH as well as micronutrient was selected as a potential source in this study and the field experiment was conducted. Abundant supply of micronutrients like Zn, Fe, Cu and Mn along with P and K was recorded in the soil samples of plot treated with fly ash when compared with the plots with NPK alone. The availability of these nutrients has resulted in increased yield. Hence this would be scaled as an economically viable solution for hidden hunger in the areas in and around thermal power plants

Potential impact of future climate change on spatial variability of blackgram yield over Tamil Nadu

Climate change is no longer a distinct prognosis but become a reality and also proved to have its impacts on crop production. Blackgram, a C3 short duration pulse crop was considered for this study to clarify the controversial statements on adaptability of this crop for changing climate. Dynamically downscaled data (CCSM4 data using REGCM4.4 model) for 1971 to 2099 (RCP 4.5 scenario) was used for the study. The popular cultivars CO6 and VBN6 of Blackgram are employed for the study after calibration and validation of DSSAT model. The impact assessment was carried out with August 1st as sowing date. The yield of Blackgram was found to have beneficial stimulus towards the changing climate under enriched CO2. Considering cultivars, difference was noticed spatially and temporally. The average yield of VBN6 was less than CO6 during base and near century, but it got reverse with time

Influence of Parent Material and Land Use Types on Soil Properties of Tamil Nadu, India

A study was conducted to examinethe impact of parent materials and land use on soil physical and chemical properties in soils of Tamil Nadu. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of parent materials and land use systems on soil properties. 15 parent materials(Lime, Marl shell, Sandstone with clay interaction, Granite (Gr2), Fuchsite quartzite, Fissile hornblende biotite gneiss, Limestone and Calcareous Shale, Sand/Clay admixture, Teri sand, Sand (Medium), Sand (Grey Brown Medium), Amphibolite, Gabbro, Hornblende biotite gneiss, Chamockite and Sandy Clay) and their respective major land use were selected for the study. In each land use type per parent material, six composite soil samples were collected from the representative location within the land use types at 0 - 30 cm soil depth and all soil samples were generated for laboratory analysis. Results showed that among the parent materials, Sandy clay had the highest silt + clay fractions, Sandy/Clay admixture had the higher organic carbon content and Fissile hornblende biotite gneiss have higher exchangeable Calcium whereas Granite (Gr2) had the higher exchangeable Magnesium. The Cation exchange capacity (CEC) was significantly highest in Limestone and Calcareous shale whereas the base saturation was significantly higher in Granite (Gr2) in the study area. This shows that land use and parent material highly influence the soil properties. The application of more organic and less inorganic fertilizers will alter the Soil properties of the study area

Influence of Nano Urea on Growth and Microbial Population in Paddy Ecosystem

Chemical fertilizer usage has been a long-drawn criticism because of its harmful effects on the environment and on the quality of agricultural produce. Researchers are continually looking for more productive, better solutions while retaining societal wellbeing. Effective use of nano fertilizers in place of chemical fertilizers is essential in reducing fertilizer overuse and also contribute in lowering the pollution and leaching which in turn increase the effectiveness of nutrient consumption and also increase the yield of the crop. An experiment was carried out in paddy to study the influence of Nano urea applications on growth and microbial populations in soil. The field trial used a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with eight treatment combinations and three replications. Results showed that application of STCR based N as Urea (50%) and Nano Urea (2 sprays) and Recommended dosage of N as Urea (50%) and Nano Urea (2 sprays) recorded higher plant height, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Dry matter accumulation in paddy. In addition, applications of Nano urea increased the microbial population including bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes. Combining recommended dosage of fertilisers with nano urea spray at critical stages of paddy crop increases the crop growth and microbial activity

Mitigation Option for GHG Emission from Wetland Rice Cultivation

The study on the effect of soil amendments and fertilizers on the mitigation of CH4 and N2O emission from rice field was conducted in the Wetland farm of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University farm, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India during rabi season. The results showed that the use of Gypsum and Fly Ash along with recommended dose of fertilizer reduced the emission of methane whereas urea with neem treatment reduced the N2O emission from the conventional water logged rice field. Methane emission was found to peak during the panicle initiation stage while nitrous oxide emission was noted only during the maturity stage. The application of Fly Ash along with gypsum had cut down the methane emission to a greater extent at all the stages. Nitrous oxide emission was reduced with the application of slow release N fertilizer (neem treated urea)