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ThesisItem Open Access STUDIES ON INFLUENCE OF CROPPING SYSTEMS ON SOIL PROPERTIES(CSK HPKV, Palampur, 22-07-19) Dhiman, Shubham; Datt, NaveenA field experiment was conducted during the years 2017-18 at Bhadiarkhar farm, Department of Agronomy, Forages and Grassland Management, CSKHPKV, Palampur to evaluate effect of eight cropping systems viz. rice-wheat, rice-pea-summer squash, okra-radish-onion, turmeric-pea-summer squash, rice-lettuce-potato+coriander, rice-palak-cucumber, rice-broccoli-radish and colocasia-pea+coriander on various soil properties and productivity. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design and was replicated four times. The soil of experiment site was silty clay loam in texture, acidic in reaction (5.3), medium in available nitrogen (362.4 kg ha-1), high in available phosphorus (73.6 kg ha-1) and medium in available potassium (115.2 kg ha-1). Study of one year revealed that rice-pea-summer squash resulted in higher microbial population, microbial biomass carbon and dehydrogenase activity. Higher available K and lower bulk density were recorded in turmeric-pea-summer squash. Colocasia-pea+coriander resulted in higher available N and DTPA-Fe. Better available phosphorus and phosphatase activity were recorded in rice-palak-cucumber. Rice-palak-cucumber cropping system resulted in the highest rice grain equivalent yield (16,477 kg ha-1) compared to the traditional rice-wheat system. Maximum returns (Rs 2,19,828), benefit cost ratio (1.76) and productivity (63.6 kg ha-1 day-1) were also recorded from this system. The yield was significantly and positively correlated with available nitrogen, DTPA-Fe, microbial population, microbial biomass carbon and dehydrogenase activity. Therefore, farmers should substitute existing rice-wheat cropping system with rice-based vegetable systems for improved soil properties, productivity and returns.ThesisItem Open Access LONG TERM EFFECT OF PRESCRIPTION BASED FERTILIZER APPLICATION ON ZINC FRACTIONS IN SOIL.(CSKHPKV, Palampur, 22-06-19) Choudhary, Deeksha; Dixit, S. P.The presentt iinvesttiigattiion was carriied outt on wheatt duriing rabii,, 2017-18 tto sttudy tthe effectt of prescriipttiion based ferttiilliizer applliicattiion on diifferentt fracttiions of ziinc iin a llong tterm experiimentt iiniittiiatted duriing khariiff,, 2007 att tthe experiimenttall farm of tthe Departtmentt of Soiill Sciience CSK HPKV,, Pallampur.. The experiimentt was llaiid outt iin a randomiized bllock desiign consiisttiing of eiightt ttreattmentts.. The soiill of experiimenttall fiielld was siilltty cllay lloam iin ttextture,, pH 5..2,, organiic carbon 7..2 g kg--1 and avaiillablle N,, P and K sttattus was 236,, 41 and 272 kg ha--1,, respecttiivelly.. The soiill samplles from 0- 0..15 m soiill deptth were collllectted before and aftter harvestt of wheatt.. The soiill samplles were anallyzed for physiicall,, chemiicall,, biiollogiicall properttiies and diifferentt fracttiions of ziinc iin soiill att harvestt of tthe crop.. Graiin and sttraw samplles were collllectted from each pllott and anallyzed for N,, P,, K,, Fe,, Mn,, Zn,, Cu conttentt and ttheiir upttake by graiin and sttraw of wheatt.. The sttudy revealled tthatt tthe ttargett yiielld of 35 q ha--1 wiitth FYM resulltted iin hiighestt wheatt graiin yiielld (34..9 q ha--1) and sttraw yiielld (58..4 q ha--1).. In prescriipttiion based ferttiilliizer applliicattiion for ttargetted yiielld of 25 q ha--1 wiitth and wiitthoutt FYM a siigniifiicantt hiigher graiin and sttraw yiielld was recorded as compared tto ttreattmentts where ferttiilliizer was applliied as per soiill ttestt based and generall recommended dose.. A siigniifiicantt iimprovementt iin nuttriientts upttake was recorded iin ttargett yiielld ttreattmentts wiitth FYM as compared tto wiitthoutt FYM ttreattmentts.. The DTPA-exttracttablle miicronuttriientt cattiions,, organiic carbon,, and miicrobiiall biiomass carbon were hiigher iin 25 and 35 q ha--1 ttargett yiielld ttreattmentts wiitth FYM iin compariison tto restt of tthe ttreattmentts.. The conttiinuous use of chemiicall ferttiilliizers broughtt outt marked depllettiion iin tthe poolls of Zn,, whiille iinttegratted applliicattiion of FYM and chemiicall ferttiilliizers recorded rellattiivelly hiigher conttentt of poolls of Zn over chemiicall ferttiilliizer applliicattiion.. Resiiduall Zn was tthe mostt domiinantt fracttiion of ziinc conttriibuttiing aboutt 49..94 per centt and non-speciifiicalllly adsorbed exchangeablle ziinc was tthe lleastt domiinantt fracttiion of ziinc conttriibuttiing aboutt 0..43 per centt tto ttottall ziinc..ThesisItem Open Access LONG TERM EFFECT OF PRESCRIPTION BASED FERTILIZER APPLICATION ON ZINC FRACTIONS IN SOIL(CSKHPKV, Palampur, 22-06-19) Choudhary, Deeksha; Dixit, S. P.The presentt iinvesttiigattiion was carriied outt on wheatt duriing rabii,, 2017-18 tto sttudy tthe effectt of prescriipttiion based ferttiilliizer applliicattiion on diifferentt fracttiions of ziinc iin a llong tterm experiimentt iiniittiiatted duriing khariiff,, 2007 att tthe experiimenttall farm of tthe Departtmentt of Soiill Sciience CSK HPKV,, Pallampur.. The experiimentt was llaiid outt iin a randomiized bllock desiign consiisttiing of eiightt ttreattmentts.. The soiill of experiimenttall fiielld was siilltty cllay lloam iin ttextture,, pH 5..2,, organiic carbon 7..2 g kg--1 and avaiillablle N,, P and K sttattus was 236,, 41 and 272 kg ha--1,, respecttiivelly.. The soiill samplles from 0- 0..15 m soiill deptth were collllectted before and aftter harvestt of wheatt.. The soiill samplles were anallyzed for physiicall,, chemiicall,, biiollogiicall properttiies and diifferentt fracttiions of ziinc iin soiill att harvestt of tthe crop.. Graiin and sttraw samplles were collllectted from each pllott and anallyzed for N,, P,, K,, Fe,, Mn,, Zn,, Cu conttentt and ttheiir upttake by graiin and sttraw of wheatt.. The sttudy revealled tthatt tthe ttargett yiielld of 35 q ha--1 wiitth FYM resulltted iin hiighestt wheatt graiin yiielld (34..9 q ha--1) and sttraw yiielld (58..4 q ha--1).. In prescriipttiion based ferttiilliizer applliicattiion for ttargetted yiielld of 25 q ha--1 wiitth and wiitthoutt FYM a siigniifiicantt hiigher graiin and sttraw yiielld was recorded as compared tto ttreattmentts where ferttiilliizer was applliied as per soiill ttestt based and generall recommended dose.. A siigniifiicantt iimprovementt iin nuttriientts upttake was recorded iin ttargett yiielld ttreattmentts wiitth FYM as compared tto wiitthoutt FYM ttreattmentts.. The DTPA-exttracttablle miicronuttriientt cattiions,, organiic carbon,, and miicrobiiall biiomass carbon were hiigher iin 25 and 35 q ha--1 ttargett yiielld ttreattmentts wiitth FYM iin compariison tto restt of tthe ttreattmentts.. The conttiinuous use of chemiicall ferttiilliizers broughtt outt marked depllettiion iin tthe poolls of Zn,, whiille iinttegratted applliicattiion of FYM and chemiicall ferttiilliizers recorded rellattiivelly hiigher conttentt of poolls of Zn over chemiicall ferttiilliizer applliicattiion.. Resiiduall Zn was tthe mostt domiinantt fracttiion of ziinc conttriibuttiing aboutt 49..94 per centt and non-speciifiicalllly adsorbed exchangeablle ziinc was tthe lleastt domiinantt fracttiion of ziinc conttriibuttiing aboutt 0..43 per centt tto ttottall ziinc..ThesisItem Open Access ASSESSMENT OF SOIL QUALITY AND NUTRIENT DYNAMICS UNDER CONVENTIONAL AND PROTECTED AGRICULTURE(CSKHPKV, Palampur, 24-07-18) Shabnam; Sharma, Sanjay K.Protected cultivation is gaining momentum especially for vegetable cultivation in Himachal Pradesh. Therefore the present study was undertaken to assess the soil quality inside polyhouses vis a vis under conventional cultivation so as to ascertain the effect of intensive cropping and the management practices being followed by farmers under these two systems. The main objectives of this study were to assess the effect of conventional and protected systems of farming on soil quality and to study N, P and K dynamics under conventional and protected systems of farming. To accomplish this, 25 sites of district Kangra were selected. All the required physical, chemical and biological parameters of soil quality were analysed and key indicators were identified using multivariate statistical analysis for computing the soil quality index. Wide variations in the soil health indicators were observed among different sites. Likewise, differences existed in the quality indicators between the samples from the protected and open conditions at number of sites. Higher salt accumulation (EC) was observed under protected conditions as compared to conventional system, though the differences in other properties were only conspicuous for some of the parameters. Among different nitrogen fractions, amino acid-N was the dominant fraction and contributed about 25 and 30% towards total-N and total hydrolysable-N, respectively. In case of P fractions, inorganic fractions constituted about 84.2% of total P. Water soluble-K, Exchangeable-K and non exchangeable-K contributed about 0.12, 0.59 and 3.05% towards total-K, respectively. As per multivariate statistical analysis techniques,organic carbon (OC), soil pH, EC, MWD and total K were found to be the most important indicators contributing towards soil quality.The mean soil qualityindex (SQI) values in Baijnath, Bhedu-Mahadev, Bhawarna, Kangra and Dharamshala blocks were 0.852, 0.816, 0.722, 0.823 and 0.794, respectively under protected cultivation. Similarly the SQI for the respective sites was computed as 0.762, 0.741, 0.759, 0.765 and 0.773 under conventional system. Overall significantly higher soil quality index was observed under protected system (0.815) as compared to the conventional cultivation (0.760). However, at two sites SQI score was lower under protected conditions than conventional cultivation. Higher gross returns were observed under protected system as compared to conventional system due to comparatively higher production. Also higher concentrations of macro as well micronutrients were observed in plant samples grown under protected system.ThesisItem Open Access EFFECT OF TILLAGE AND POTASSIUM LEVELS ON WHEAT PRODUCTIVITY AND SOIL PROPERTIES UNDER RAINFED AND LIMITED IRRIGATION CONDITIONS(CSKHPKV, Palampur, 24-07-18) Singh, Harmanpreet; Sharma, Sanjay K.The present study was conducted at the experimental farm of Department of Soil Science, CSK HPKV, Palampur, during Rabi 2016-17 with the objective to evaluate the effects of different tillage methods, irrigation and potassium levels on soil moisture content, yield, nutrient uptake by wheat crop and soil properties. The treatments comprised two tillage methods viz. conventional and conservation tillage, two irrigation levels viz. no irrigation and two irrigations of 2.5 cm each at tillering and flowering stages only and three potassium levels viz.100 per cent, 125 per cent and 150 per cent recommended dose of potassium. These were evaluated in a split plot design. Wheat (var. HPW 236) was sown on 26th December, 2016. The results indicated that treatment in which conservation tillage was followed had early emergence, higher soil water content, plant height (77.2 cm), relative leaf water content, nutrients uptake, better yield attributes (spike length, number of grains per spike, number of effective tillers and 1000-grain weight) and grain (26.6 q ha-1) and straw yield (39.5 q ha-1) in comparison to the conventional tillage. Among the irrigation levels higher plant height (76.0 cm), relative water content, better yield attributes, nutrients uptake and grain (28.4 q ha-1) and straw yield (41.1 q ha-1) were recorded when crop was irrigated twice as compared to no irrigation. Higher plant height (76.6 cm), relative leaf water content, better yield attributes, grain (28.4 q ha-1) and straw yield (41.8 q ha-1) and nutrients uptake were recorded with application of 150 per cent recommended dose of potassium. The treatment comprising two irrigations coupled with application of 150 per cent recommended dose of potassium under conservation tillage recorded higher gross returns (Rs. 97106 ha-1), net return (Rs. 62860 ha-1) and B: C ratio (2.84). Soil pH, bulk density, available N and P were not affected by tillage methods, irrigation and potassium levels. Soil organic carbon increased significantly at surface layer under conservation tillage and available potassium increased significantly with increasing levels of potassium.ThesisItem Open Access STUDIES ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF BORON FORMS IN SOME CULTIVATED SOILS OF HIMACHAL PRADESH(CSKHPKV, Palampur, 24-07-18) Nazir, Gazala; Sharma, V.K.Understanding the spatial distribution of various forms of boron in soils helps in predicting its short- and long-term availability for sustainable crop production. In the present investigation, 202 surface soil samples, representing major soils (Alfisols, Entisols & Inceptisols) and land use types were collected from Outer and Lesser Himalayan regions of Himachal Pradesh to study the spatial distribution of B forms vis-à-vis their relationship with important soil properties. The soil samples were collected at 0-15 cm depth from cultivated soils under maize-wheat, paddy-wheat, vegetable-based & sugarcane-based cropping sequences and at 0-30 cm depth from tea gardens & orchards of mango, mandarin, apple etc. and analyzed for important soil properties and B forms using standard methods. The depth-wise distribution of those soil attributes and B forms (at 0-15, 15-30 & 30-60 cm) was also studied in the selected soils. Sand (%), silt (%), clay (%), textural class, soil pH (1:2.5), electrical conductivity (μS cm-1), organic carbon (g kg-1), cation exchange capacity {cmol(p+) kg-1}, base saturation (%) and calcium carbonate (%) in cultivated soils of Himachal Pradesh ranged from 25 to 80, 12 to 45, 6 to 32, loamy sand to clay loam, 5.2 to 7.8 (slightly acid to slightly alkaline), 40 to 372, 2.8 to 22.0, 4.1 to 16.4, 48 to 77 and 0.05 to 2.20, respectively. As regards available nutrient status, soils were medium in available N & K, low in available P & S, high in available Ca & Mg, sufficient in available Cu, Fe & Mn and deficient to sufficient in available Zn and B. Per cent soil samples deficient in N, P, S, Zn and B were 18, 45, 44, 36 and 55, respectively. Such a spatial variation in soil properties and fertility status may be explained in the light of pedo-genesis and prevailing nutrient management practices. Water soluble, exchangeable, specifically adsorbed, oxide occluded, organically bound, residual and total boron in cultivated soils ranged from 0.104 to 0.389, 0.128 to 0.393, 0.215 to 0.680, 0.567 to 2.13, 0.79 to 2.65, 20.04 to 53.16 and 22.0 to 59.14 mg kg-1 with mean values of 0.218, 0.231, 0.402, 1.26, 1.46, 34.09 and 37.67 mg kg-1, respectively. On an average, water soluble, exchangeable, specifically adsorbed, oxide occluded, organically bound and residual B constituted about 0.58, 0.61, 1.07, 3.34, 3.86 and 90.6 per cent of total B, respectively. As regards depth-wise distribution, surface soils were found rich in available and potentially available reserves of B as compared to sub-surface soils. Irrespective of land use types and soils, there were significant and positive correlations between different chemical pools of B, indicating the existence of dynamic equilibrium among them. Among all soil properties, clay, organic carbon and cation exchange capacity exhibited better correlations with each form of B. The step-wise multiple regression analysis showed that organic carbon contributed largely to different pools of boron. Soils deficient in available B had lower content of each form of B as compared to those, sufficient in available B. Further, soils with lower values of clay, organic carbon and cation exchange capacity contained less amount of soil B in each pool as compared to soils higher in these soil attributes. Therefore, former soils require relatively more attention on B mangement as compared to latter ones for sustaining soil productivity.ThesisItem Open Access STUDIES ON NITROGEN CONTRIBUTION IN RICE GROWN UNDER SYSTEM OF RICE INTENSIFICATION(CSKHPKV, Palampur, 25-07-17) BAKTASH, ABDUL MATEEN; Datt, NaveenAzolla was grown in pots and trays in the month of February, 2016 under laboratory and field condition. Azolla was also grown in the field by making trenches (2m × 2m × 0.2m) in the month of March, 2016 and was evaluated for its biomass production in the subsequent months up to October, 2016 and has a potential of 19 t ha-1 and was also analyzed for manurial content. Azolla has nitrogen fixation rate (13.94 n moles C2H4g-1 Dwt min-1), total carbon (35 %), and total nitrogen (4.1 %), C: N ratio (9.56), protein content (25.62 %), P (1.1 %), K (4.5 %), Ca (0.20 %), Mg (0.21 %) ,S (0.49 %), Zn (38 mg kg-1), Fe (3900 mg kg-1), Mn (762 mg kg-1) and Cu (16 mg kg-1). An experiment was conducted at Water Management Farm, CSKHPKV, Palampur by taking rice crop during kharif, 2016 to study the effect of Azolla alone and in combination with graded doses of fertilizer nitrogen by taking twelve treatments and three replications in randomized block design. The soil sample before sowing of crop was taken and was analyzed for physical, chemical and microbiological properties. The representative soil was having texture silty clay loam, pH 5.5, cation exchange capacity 8.50 cmol (p+) kg-1, organic carbon 8.70 g kg-1, available N, P and K 377.5 kg ha-1, 17.8 kg ha-1 and 159.5 kg ha-1 respectively, microbial biomass carbon 113.6 μg g-1, urease activity 4.12 μg g-1 min-1 and phytase activity 0.34 μg inorganic P solid g-1 hr-1. The yield attributes of the crop were recorded, highest plant height was found in 50 kg N ha-1 + 8 t Azolla, number of tillers m-2 125 kg N ha-1 + 8 t Azolla and effective tillers m-2 were observed in treatment having 100 kg N ha-1 + 8 t Azolla and highest grains per panicle was recorded in treatment having 125 kg N ha-1 +4 t Azolla. The highest grain and straw yield was recorded in treatment having 125 kg N ha-1 + 8 t Azolla. After the harvest of crop, soil samples from each plot were taken from the depth of 0-0.15 m and analyzed for chemical, microbiological and physical properties of soil. The results revealed that an increase in pH (5.57) was observed with application of Azolla and fertilizer nitrogen combinedly. Maximum organic carbon (8.90 g kg -1) and the highest CEC [8.73 cmol (p+) kg-1] were found in treatment 125 kg N ha-1 + 8 t Azolla 1; available N (402.8 kg ha-1), P (18.87 kg ha-1) and K (169.4 kg ha-1) were recorded in treatment 125 kg N ha-1 + 8 t Azolla. Highest microbial biomass carbon (113.6 μg g-1) was found in treatment 125 kg N ha-1 + 8 t Azolla. Phytase (0.68 μg inorganic P solid g-1 hr-1) and urease (17.34 μg g-1 min-1) activity was significantly higher in treatments with 4 t or 8 t Azolla in combination with graded doses of fertilizer nitrogen than fertilizer nitrogen alone and 4 t Azolla alone. Total N, P, K content and NPK uptake was found maximum in the treatment 125 kg N ha-1 + 8 t Azolla. Build up of N was found in the treatments having 4 t Azolla, 8 t Azolla, whereas K build up was found in 100 and 125 kg nitrogen, 4 t Azolla, 100 kg N ha-1 + 4 t Azolla and 125 kg N ha-1 + 4 t Azolla . It was concluded that 50 and 100 kg of nitrogen ha-1 can be saved with the application of 4 t and 8 t Azolla ha-1. ________________________ _____________________ (Abdul Mateen Baktahs) Student Date: 25th,July, 2017 (Dr. Naveen Datt) Major Advisor Date: 25th,July, 2017 ___________________ HeadThesisItem Open Access A STUDY ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF SULPHUR FRACTIONS IN SOME CULTIVATED SOILS OF LOW AND MID HILL ZONES OF HIMACHAL PRADESH(CSKHPKV, Palampur, 24-07-18) Suri, Deepika; Sharma, V.K.Knowledge of the spatial distribution of various fractions of sulphur in soils helps in predicting its short- and long-term availability for sustainable crop production. In the present investigation, 196 surface soil samples, representing major soils (Entisols, Alfisols & Inceptisols) and land use types, were collected from low and mid hill zones of Himachal Pradesh to study the spatial distribution of S forms vis-à-vis their relationship with important soil properties. The soil samples were collected at 0-15 cm depth from cultivated soils under maize-wheat, paddy-wheat, vegetable-based & sugarcane-based cropping sequences and at 0-30 cm depth from tea gardens and orchards of mango, mandarin, apple etc. and analyzed for important soil properties and S forms using standard methods. The depth-wise distribution of those soil attributes and S forms (at 0-15, 15-30 & 30-60) was also studied in the selected soils. Sand (%), silt (%), clay (%), textural class, soil pH (1:2.5), electrical conductivity (μS cm-1), organic carbon (g kg-1), cation exchange capacity {cmol(p+) kg-1}, base saturation (%) and calcium carbonate (%) ranged from 40 to 80, 12 to 45, 6 to 24, loamy sand to sandy clay loam, 6.1 to 7.8 (slightly acid to slightly alkaline), 142 to 372, 3.1 to 15.3, 4.7 to 13.3, 60 to 77 and 0.05 to 2.20 in soils of low hill zone and varied from 25 to 80, 12 to 43, 5 to 32, loamy sand to sandy clay loam, 5.2 to 6.9 (slightly acidic to slightly alkaline), 0.040 to 0.320, 0.280 to 2.200, 4.1 to 16.38, 48 to 71 and 0.075 to 2.150 in soils of mid hill zone of Himachal Pradesh, respectively. As regards available nutrient status of soils , N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn were medium, low, medium, high, high, low, sufficient, sufficient, sufficient and deficient, respectively in low and mid hill zones of Himachal Pradesh. Per cent soil samples deficient in N, P, S and Zn were 26, 47, 59 and 39 in low hill zone and 11, 45, 30 and 34 in mid hill zone, respectively. Such a spatial variation in soil properties and fertility status may be explained in light of pedo-genesis and prevailing nutrient management practices. Water soluble, exchangeable, available, organic, non-sulphate and total S in cultivated soils of low hill zone ranged from 7 .0 to 1.1, 1.9 to 10.9, 3.1 to 21.1, 75.9 to 316.1, 8 to 41.5 and 75.5 to 281.9 with mean values of 3.7, 6.1, 9.8, 143.4, 21.7 and 155.6, respectively. Whereas in mid hill zone, water soluble, exchangeable, available, organic, non-sulphate and total sulphur in cultivated soils varied from 1.7 to 9.9, 3.4 to 20.9, 5.1 to 30.8, 60.8 to 444.6, 6.7 to 58.9 and 72.6 to 513.9 with mean values of 4.5, 9.6, 14.1, 215.4, 31.4 and 260.9, respectively. On an average, water soluble, exchangeable, available, organic and non-sulphate S constituted about 2.0, 3.8, 5.8, 86 and 13 per cent of total soil S, respectively in both the zones of Himachal Pradesh. As regards depth-wise distribution, surface soils were richer in available and potentially available reserves of S as compared to the sub-surface soils. Irrespective of land use type and soils, there were significant and positive correlations between different chemical pools of S, indicating the existence of dynamic equilibrium among them. Among all soil properties, clay, organic carbon and cation exchange capacity exhibited better correlations with each form of S. Soils with lower values of clay, organic carbon and CEC contained less amount of soil S in each pool as compared to soils higher in those soil attributes. Based on step-wise multiple regression analysis, OC was found to be main contributing factor which affects the S availability in soil. Soils deficient in available S had lower content of each form of sulphur as compared to those, sufficient in available S. It is therefore, essential to maintain the S build-up in different S pools for ensuring optimum S supply to crops.ThesisItem Open Access STUDIES ON NITROGEN CONTRIBUTION IN RICE GROWN UNDER SYSTEM OF RICE INTENSIFICATION(CSK HPKV, Palampur, 25-07-17) BAKTASH, ABDUL MATEEN; Datt, NaveenAzolla was grown in pots and trays in the month of February, 2016 under laboratory and field condition. Azolla was also grown in the field by making trenches (2m × 2m × 0.2m) in the month of March, 2016 and was evaluated for its biomass production in the subsequent months up to October, 2016 and has a potential of 19 t ha-1 and was also analyzed for manurial content. Azolla has nitrogen fixation rate (13.94 n moles C2H4g-1 Dwt min-1), total carbon (35 %), and total nitrogen (4.1 %), C: N ratio (9.56), protein content (25.62 %), P (1.1 %), K (4.5 %), Ca (0.20 %), Mg (0.21 %) ,S (0.49 %), Zn (38 mg kg-1), Fe (3900 mg kg-1), Mn (762 mg kg-1) and Cu (16 mg kg-1). An experiment was conducted at Water Management Farm, CSKHPKV, Palampur by taking rice crop during kharif, 2016 to study the effect of Azolla alone and in combination with graded doses of fertilizer nitrogen by taking twelve treatments and three replications in randomized block design. The soil sample before sowing of crop was taken and was analyzed for physical, chemical and microbiological properties. The representative soil was having texture silty clay loam, pH 5.5, cation exchange capacity 8.50 cmol (p+) kg-1, organic carbon 8.70 g kg-1, available N, P and K 377.5 kg ha-1, 17.8 kg ha-1 and 159.5 kg ha-1 respectively, microbial biomass carbon 113.6 μg g-1, urease activity 4.12 μg g-1 min-1 and phytase activity 0.34 μg inorganic P solid g-1 hr-1. The yield attributes of the crop were recorded, highest plant height was found in 50 kg N ha-1 + 8 t Azolla, number of tillers m-2 125 kg N ha-1 + 8 t Azolla and effective tillers m-2 were observed in treatment having 100 kg N ha-1 + 8 t Azolla and highest grains per panicle was recorded in treatment having 125 kg N ha-1 +4 t Azolla. The highest grain and straw yield was recorded in treatment having 125 kg N ha-1 + 8 t Azolla. After the harvest of crop, soil samples from each plot were taken from the depth of 0-0.15 m and analyzed for chemical, microbiological and physical properties of soil. The results revealed that an increase in pH (5.57) was observed with application of Azolla and fertilizer nitrogen combinedly. Maximum organic carbon (8.90 g kg -1) and the highest CEC [8.73 cmol (p+) kg-1] were found in treatment 125 kg N ha-1 + 8 t Azolla 1; available N (402.8 kg ha-1), P (18.87 kg ha-1) and K (169.4 kg ha-1) were recorded in treatment 125 kg N ha-1 + 8 t Azolla. Highest microbial biomass carbon (113.6 μg g-1) was found in treatment 125 kg N ha-1 + 8 t Azolla. Phytase (0.68 μg inorganic P solid g-1 hr-1) and urease (17.34 μg g-1 min-1) activity was significantly higher in treatments with 4 t or 8 t Azolla in combination with graded doses of fertilizer nitrogen than fertilizer nitrogen alone and 4 t Azolla alone. Total N, P, K content and NPK uptake was found maximum in the treatment 125 kg N ha-1 + 8 t Azolla. Build up of N was found in the treatments having 4 t Azolla, 8 t Azolla, whereas K build up was found in 100 and 125 kg nitrogen, 4 t Azolla, 100 kg N ha-1 + 4 t Azolla and 125 kg N ha-1 + 4 t Azolla . It was concluded that 50 and 100 kg of nitrogen ha-1 can be saved with the application of 4 t and 8 t Azolla ha-1.