Not AvailableSoils in the hot, arid topical regions are low in organic matter and fertility and are
structurally poor. Consequently, these soils suffer on account of poor physical, chemical,
and biological soil quality traits, leading to miserably low crop yields. Long-term
use of conjunctive nutrient management and conservation tillage practices may have
a profound effect on improving the quality of these soils. Therefore, the objective of
this study was to identify the key soil quality indicators, indices, and the best soiland
nutrient-management practices that can improve soil quality on long-term basis
for enhanced productivity under a pearl millet–based system. The studies were conducted
for the Hissar Centre of All-India Coordinated Research Project at the Central
Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad. Conjunctive nutrient-use treatments
and conservation tillage significantly influenced the majority of the soil quality
parameters in both the experiments. In experiment 1, the key soil quality indicators that
significantly contributed to soil quality in a rainfed pearl millet–mung bean system were
available nitrogen (N, 35%), available zinc (Zn; 35%), available copper (Cu; 10%),
pH (10%), available potassium (K; 5%), and dehydrogenase assay (5%). The three
best conjunctive nutrient-use treatments in terms of soil quality indices (SQI) were T3,
25 kg N (compost) (1.52) >T6, 15 kg N (compost) + 10 kg N (inorganic) + biofertilizer
(1.49) >T5, 15 kg N (compost) + 10 kg N (green leaf manure) (1.47). In experiment 2,
under a rainfed pearl millet system, the key indicators and their percentage contributions
were electrical conductivity (15%), available N (19%), exchangeable magnesium
(Mg; 18%), available manganese (Mn; 13%), dehydrogenase assay (19%), microbial
biomass carbon (C; 5%), and bulk density (11%). The three best tillage +nutrient treatments
identified from the viewpoint of soil quality were T1, conventional tillage (CT) +
two intercultures (IC) + 100% N (organic source/compost) (1.74) >T3, CT + two IC
+ 100% N (inorganic source) (1.74) >T4, low tillage + two IC + 100% N (organic
source/compost) (1.70). The findings of the present study as well as the state-of-the-art
methodology adopted could be of much interest and use to the future researchers including
students, land managers, state agricultural officers, growers/farmers, and all other
associated stakeholders. The prediction function developed between long-term pearl
millet crop yields (y) and soil quality indices (x) in this study could be of much use
in predicting the crop yields with a given change in soil quality index under similar
situations.Not Availabl