SUSTAINING SOIL HEALTH IN RICE (Oryza sativa L.)THROUGH AQUATIC WEED COMPOSTS
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Date
2015
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Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Guntur
Abstract
A green house experiment entitled “Sustaining soil health in rice (Oryza sativa L.) through aquatic weed composts” was conducted at Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Bapatla to study the effect of compost prepared from aquatic weeds on soil properties and performance of rice in terms of yield and nutrient uptake, besides the physical, physico-chemical, chemical and biological properties of soil.
The experimental soil was clay in texture, neutral in reaction, medium in organic carbon (0.35%), low in available nitrogen (235 kg ha-1), medium in phosphorus (24.6 kg ha-1) and high in potassium (386 kg ha-1). All the micronutrients were above the critical limit except zinc. The experiment consists of ten treatments viz., Recommended dose of fertilizer nitrogen only (T1-160 kg ha-1) and integrated use of fertilizer nitrogen with Eichhornia, Ipomoea compost and FYM at three levels of substitution( 25, 50 and 75 % RDFN ). The treatments were laid out in completely randomized design and replicated six times. Aqautic weed compost and FYM were applied to soil as per the treatments based on their nitrogen content one week before transplanting of rice seedlings. Fertilizer nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were applied through urea, single superphosphate and muriate of potash. 100 per cent recommended dose of nitrogen (160 kg ha-1) and 75, 50 and 25 per cent N in combination with organics was applied in three equal splits. Whereas, phosphorus and potassium @ 60 and 40 kg of P2O5 and K2O ha-1 were applied uniformly to all the pots. Entire quantity of phosphorus was applied at transplanting and potassium was applied in two equal splits. Standard methods of analysis were followed for estimating the nutrient composition of fresh weed biomass, compost prepared
from those and FYM. Plant samples collected at 60 DAT and 120 DAT and soil samples collected at 15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 DAT were also analysed chemically for nutrient composition and various soil properties.
The compost prepared from Ipomoea contained higher amounts of macro and micronutrients, narrower C:N and C:P ratio than Eichhornia compost and FYM. The physical and physico-chemical properties viz., bulk density, pH, EC and CEC were not significantly influenced by imposed treatments. The organic carbon, available macro and micronutrient contents and biological properties viz., dehydrogenese activity, biomass carbon and respiration rate in soil at 15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 DAT were significantly influenced by the treatments. Among the treatments, the treatment T9 which was substituted by 75 per cent nitrogen through Ipomoea compost was superior in improving the soil properties whereas, the treatment T1 was inferior which received 100 per cent RDFN.
The performance of rice in terms of drymatter production, grain and straw yields, nutrient uptake at 60 and 120 DAT was significantly influenced by the treatments. The treatment (T3) which was integrated with 75 per cent RDFN and 25 per cent RDN through Ipomoea compost recorded maximum dry matter production, grain and straw yield and nutrient up take. Next best treatment was T2 which received same level of fertilizer nitrogen along with 25 per cent nitrogen through Eichhornia compost. Significant and positive correlations were observed between soil properties and performance of rice.
Considering the soil health and rice productivity, the application of 75 per cent nitrogen through Eichhornia, Ipomoea composts and FYM along with 25 per cent nitrogen through fertilizer and 75 per cent RDFN+ 25 per cent RDN through Eichhornia, Ipomoea composts and FYM was found to be beneficial in improving the soil properties and yield of rice as compared to sole application of fertilizer nitrogen.
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D5179
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