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ThesisItem Open Access Productivity and soil quality assessment in maize-wheat system under zero budget natural farming(palampur, 2022-10-13) Thakur, Praveen; Paliyal, Sukhdev S.The present study on “Productivity and soil quality assessment in maize-wheat system under zero budget natural farming” was carried out during 2018-19 and 2019-20 at the experimental farm of CSKHPKV-Hill Agricultural Research and Extension Centre, Dhaulakuan, Sirmour (H.P.), India. The efficient utilization of available resources at farm and the restriction of their use in zero budget natural farming (ZBNF), warrant the need to study the soil quality and crop productivity under ZBNF system. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to assess the soil quality in maize-wheat system using ZBNF components along with farm yard manure (FYM). The field experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) consisting of three factors (jeevamrit concentration, interval of its application and FYM) along with control. There were two levels of jeevamrit concentration [5% (J1) and 10% (J2)], two levels of interval of its application [15 days (I1) and 30 days (I2)] and three levels of FYM doses [0 t ha-1 (F1), 5 t ha-1 (F2) and 10 t ha-1 (F3)]. The soil samples at 0-0.15 m depth from each plot were collected before sowing as well as after harvest of the both crops and were analyzed for soil chemical properties such as pH, electric conductivity, organic carbon, cation exchange capacity, macronutrient content (N, P and K), secondary nutrient content (Ca, Mg and S) and micronutrient content (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, B and Mo), physical properties (bulk density, mean weight diameter, saturated hydraulic conductivity and plant available water), biological properties (microbial biomass carbon, dehydrogenase activity and microbial count). The results revealed that growth and yield attributes of both maize + blackgram and wheat + chickpea were increased with application of higher concentration of jeevamrit (J2) at 15 days interval along with higher dose of FYM (F3). Maize grain equivalent yield with jeevamrit (J2) at 15 days interval+10 t FYM ha-1 treatment increased upto 4.71% during 2018 and 8.42% during 2019 whereas wheat grain-equivalent yield decreased upto 4.17% during 2018-19 and 0.47 % during 2019-20, over control (RDF). Soil physical, chemical and biological parameters were improved significantly under zero budget natural farming and these properties improved further when FYM was applied along with ZBNF component over RDF. Available nutrient status in soil under RDF treated plots showed slight decrease from initial value, however the plots treated with higher concentration of zero budget natural farming components along with higher dose of FYM showed significant increase from rest of the treatments. The SQI under maize and wheat crop ranged from 2.60 to 3.67 and 2.56 to 3.71, respectively and the highest was observed under T6 (J2I1F3). The maximum nutrient uptake in both crops and its concentration in their grain was found with higher concentration of jeevamrit at 15 days interval along with 10 t FYM ha-1 , whereas the lowest were recorded with lower concentration of jeevamrit at 30 days interval without FYM.ThesisItem Open Access :Effect of irrigation and tillage on water productivity and soil health in maize-wheat sequence under zero budget natural farming systems(Palampur, 2021-12-30) Jaswal, Richa; Sandal, Sanjeev K.The present study was conducted at experimental farm of Department of Organic Agriculture and Natural Farming, CSK HPKV, Palampur, during the year 2018-20 in maize -wheat cropping sequence with the objectives of evaluating the effect of irrigation and tillage under zero budget natural farming systems on soil and plant water content, total water use and water productivity, plant shoot and root growth and crop productivity and soil nutrient status, hydro-physical properties and microbial biomass. The treatments comprised of, T1: No irrigation to maize and 6 cm irrigation to wheat grown with conventional tillage and ZBNF, T2: No irrigation to maize and 4 cm irrigation to wheat grown with conventional tillage and ZBNF, T3: No irrigation to maize and 2 cm irrigation to wheat grown with conventional tillage and ZBNF, T4: No irrigation to maize and wheat grown with conventional tillage and ZBNF, T5: No irrigation to maize and wheat grown with minimum tillage + lantana mulch and ZBNF, T6: No irrigation to maize + soybean and 6 cm irrigation to wheat + gram gown with conventional tillage grown and ZBNF, T7: No irrigation to maize + soybean and wheat + gram grown with minimum tillage + lantana mulch and ZBNF, T8: No irrigation to maize and 6 cm irrigation to wheat grown with conventional tillage and organic farming and T9: No irrigation to maize and 6 cm irrigation to wheat grown with conventional tillage and no manure application (Absolute control) were imposed in a randomized block design replicated four times. The results indicated that the treatments of minimum tillage with mulch with (T7) or without (T5) intercropping of soybean/ gram resulted in higher soil and relative leaf water content, improved shoot and root growth and higher crop and water productivity with higher nutrient uptake in comparison to the conventional tillage and no mulch under rainfed conditions. Further, the treatments with 6 cm irrigation applied (T1, T6, T8) in wheat resulted in higher soil and relative leaf water content in comparison to the treatments of minimum tillage with mulch (T5 and T7). The treatments of minimum tillage with mulch (T5 and T7) resulted in increase in organic carbon, improvement in hydro-physical properties and increased microbial count in comparison to the conventional tillage and no mulch. The study concluded that the treatments of minimum tillage with mulch with or without intercropping of soybean/ gram resulted in higher crop and water productivity compared to conventional tillage with no mulch under ZBNF systems.
