Impact of Organic and Inorganic farming practices Soil Properties of Jammu and Kashmir
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Date
2023-11-08
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Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of Jammu
Abstract
The study entitled, “Impact of organic and inorganic farming practices on soil quality of Jammu and Kashmir” was carried out under SKUAST, Jammu where the soil samples were collected from cereal and vegetable based fields under organic and inorganic farming practices from six districts of Jammu and Kashmir namely Jammu, Samba, Reasi, Bandipora, Ganderbal and Pulwama. The research was attempted to compare soils under organic and inorganic farming practices with respect to soil physical, chemical and biological properties. The data generated was statistically analysed by comparing means using t-test. The texture of soils in vegetables and cereals under organic and inorganic soils ranged from sandy loam to loam.The study found significant variations in bulk density (BD), water holding capacity (WHC), pH, organic carbon (OC), available nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC), and dehydrogenase activity (DHA) between organic and inorganic farming practices. The mean value for BD for vegetables under organic farming practice was 1.31g /cm3 and for cereals was 1.34 g /cm3which was lower than 1.42g /cm3and 1.46 g /cm3for vegetables and cereals respectively under inorganic farming practices. Water holding capacity for vegetables and cereals under organic farming was 40.93% and 39.27%, respectively, higher than 32.43% and 26.81% under inorganic farming. The mean pH for vegetable under organic was 6.78 and 6.79 and under inorganic it was 7.09 and 7.09. Organic farming practices resulted in significantly higher levels of organic carbon, available nitrogen, and phosphorus in both vegetables and cereals compared to inorganic farming. Specifically, organic farming had average values of 1% OC, 344.25 kg/ha N, and 20.85 kg/ha P in vegetables, and 0.95% OC, 328.11 kg/ha N, and 20.19 kg/ha P in cereals, whereas inorganic farming had lower values of 0.73% OC, 298.85 kg/ha N, and 16.76 kg/ha P in vegetables, and 0.65% OC, 284.04 kg/ha N, and 15.46 kg/ha P in cereals. Furthermore, the SMBC and DHA for cereal and vegetables under organic were 78.45 µg/g soil and 5.74 µg TPF/g soil/ hr, respectively and 72.37 µg/g soil and 5.37 µg TPF/g soil/ hr respectively which were higher in 62.57 µg/g soil and 4.18 µg TPF/g soil/ hr respectively and 57.64 µg/g soil and 3.90 µg TPF/g soil/ hr, respectively. EC, Available K and DTPA extractable zinc and boron had no significant differences under organic and inorganic farming practices, however were on a higher side in case of organic farming practices. The results further revealed that vegetable and cereals under organic farming had better soil quality as compared to inorganic farming practices.
The study concluded that organic farming practices result in enhanced soil physico chemical and biological properties compared to inorganic farming methods in the region of Jammu and Kashmir. Moreover, Soil organic practices also enhanced the soil quality index in both vegetables and cereals over inorganic practices. Therefore, the promotion and adoption of organic farming can play a vital role in establishing and maintaining healthy, sustainable, and environmentally friendly agricultural production systems.
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Hamid, A. 2023., Impact of Organic and Inorganic Farming Practices on Soil Properities of Jammu and Kashmir, M.Sc. Thesis, SKUAST-Jammu, India