Evaluation of land management practices for nutrient budgeting and dynamics in soybean-based cropping systems in vertic inceptisols

Vertic lnceptisols wver over 60 million ha of landscape in central-peninsular India. These soils are highly prone to land degradation due to their mineralogical-texhrral composition, position on toposequences. and the prevalence of the practice of summer (rainy cropping season) fallowing Of late, however, soybean cultivation has been adopted on a wide-scale on these soils, but the yield of the crop are low. Productivity of the soybeanbased land use systems on these soils need to be improved and sustained at higher levels by a better management of natural resources in particular soil, nutrients and water. Soil erosion also needs to be reduced by the introduction of improved land management practica. Experiments were. therefore. conducted during the rainy and post-rainy seasons in 1997 and 1998, on an operational watershed scale. on a Vertic lnceptisol watershed [ Black soil watershed BW7] at the ICRISAT center. Patancheru, near Hyderabad. India to study: (1) The effect of two landform treatments, namely flat and broadbed and h m w (BBF) systems and two soil depths namely shallow ( 6 0 cm) and medium-deep (>50 cm) on nutrient (N, P and K) budgets of soybean-based cropping systems (soybeadpigeonpea and soybean+chickpea); (2) Soil nitrogen and carbon dynamics. systems productivity and Vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization in crops roots; (3) and Laboratoty experiments were conducted [in a Vertic Inceptisol] to study the patterns of C and N release from pigeonpea [Cqjmns cqjm (L.)] and Glyricid/awpit~mre sidues

Effect of landform and soil depth on productivity of soybean-based cropping systems and erosion losses in Vertic Inceptisols

A field study was conducted during 1987/98 and 1998/99 at the ICRISAT, Patancheru, Hyderabad, India, to evaluate the effect of landform and soil depth on water, soil and nitrate-nitrogen loss through runoff and performance of soyabean-based cropping systems. Total system's productivity (seed yield) of the soyabean+chickpea was significantly higher than the soyabean/pigeon pea intercropping system. Soyabean followed by chickpea grown on broad bed furrow (BBF) landform on medium-deep soil produced maximum yield in 1997 (2410 kg ha-1) and in 1998 (3000 kg ha-1) compared to flat land form on medium-deep soils. The seasonal runoff (287 mm, 33% of seasonal rainfall), nitrate nitrogen loss (13 kg N ha-1) and soil loss (5.35 t ha-1) from the flat landform was observed to be maximum when compared to the BBF landform. Results indicated that BBF landform on Vertic Inceptisols reduced runoff, nitrate nitrogen loss and soil loss considerably and marginally increased the yield of soyabean, pigeon pea and chickpea

Vermicomposting: Recycling Wastes into Valuable Organic Fertilizer.Global Theme on Agroecosystems Report no. 8

The large quantity of organic waste, nearly 700 million t yr-1, generated in India is either burned or land filled posing a problem of safe disposal. To mitigate this problem all the waste can be converted into highly valuable nutrient-rich compost in an environment friendly manner. Vermicomposting is one of the best methods of composting any kind of organic matter, which could provide a ‘win-win’ solution to tackle the problem of safe disposal of waste and also provide most needed plant nutrients for sustainable productivity.Vermicompost improves growth, quality and yield of different field crops, flower and fruit crops. Vermicomposting contributes to recycling of nitrogen and augments soil physico-chemical as well as biological properties. Microbial biodiversity was checked and higher diversity was recorded in the partially decomposed organic material for the vermicompost than in the vermicompost. All kinds of organic material can be used for vermicomposting however, Gliricidia, tobacco leaves and chicken droppings are not suitable for earthworm multiplication but can be composted with earthworms. The optimum temperature for vermicomposting is about 20–30°C and moisture content ranges from 32 to 60% only. It is a very simple process and easy to practice as well as cost-effective pollution abatement technologyThe training programs for women self-help groups (SHGs) covered technical aspects of making vermicompost and its application to various crops. These programs have been conducted by ICRISAT with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and District Water Management Agency (DWMA) in Adarsha watershed (Kothapally) in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and eastern Rajasthan. A noxious weed, Parthenium hysterophorus (locally referred as vayyari bhama or congress weed) was found abundantly on field bunds in Kothapally and other regions of Andhra Pradesh, which inhibited the crop growth and caused environmental pollution. Some case studies of women who have come forward to utilize this weed as raw material for vermicomposting, a safe weed disposal mechanism, have been presented in this repor

Soil management for Sustained and Higher Productivity in the Adarsha Watershed

Kothapally watershed is a typical representative of rain-fed (800 mm rainfall) semi-arid tropics (SAT) with varying soil depth in the watershed and widespread soil degradation as the major challenge coupled with low crop yields and family incomes. Before the onset of initiative during 1999, soil health mapping and baseline surveys showed varying soil depth in fields at different topo-sequence, macro-/micronutrient deficiencies along with low soil carbon (C) levels and heavy soil loss through erosion that compromised with crop production in the watershed. Inappropriate fertilizer management decisions leading to negative budget for primary nutrients in major crops/cropping systems highlighted suboptimal fertilizer use. Unawareness about micro-/secondary nutrient deficiencies like sulphur (S), boron (B) and zinc (Zn) and lack of addition of such fertilizers contributed to low crop yields and declining fertilizer and water use efficiency. Farmers participatory trials highlighted yield loss of 13–39% in crops like sorghum and maize in the absence of deficient micro-/secondary nutrient fertilizers. Recycling of on-farm wastes through vermicomposting and biomass generation using N-rich Gliricidia on farm boundaries were promoted for fertilizer savings and crop yield benefit alongside soil carbon building for developing resilience. The impact of integrated soil health management practices cumulatively observed over 13 years was demonstrated during 2012 soil health mapping that showed improved mean level of soil organic C; available nutrients, viz. phosphorus (P), B, Zn and S; and significantly reduced number of fields with low nutrient/C levels. Along with yield advantage, soil loss was significantly reduced from 3.48 t ha in untreated area to 1.62 t ha in treated watershed area