Effect of fertilizers, FYM and lime on organic matter fractions and maize productivity in an acid Alfisol
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Date
2022-09-26
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palampur
Abstract
The present investigation was conducted during kharif 2021 to study the effect of fertilizers,
FYM and lime on organic matter fractions and maize productivity at the Research Farm of the
Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture, Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal
Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur in the on-going experiment which is in progress
since kharif 2019. The experiment was laid out with eleven treatments replicated three times in a
randomized block design. The soil of the study area was silt loam in texture and taxonomically
classified as Typic Hapludalf. The grain and stover yield of maize was recorded and the yield
attributes (test weight, number of grains per cob, cob weight and shelling percentage) were
recorded after the harvest of maize. The content of primary (N, P and K) and secondary nutrients
(S, Ca and Mg) were determined in grain and stover and uptake was calculated. Grain samples
were also analyzed for quality parameters. Soil samples were collected from 0 - 0.15 m depth
after the harvest of maize (kharif 2021). Soil samples were analyzed for different physical (BD
and WHC), chemical (pH, SOC, CEC, available N, P, K and S and exchangeable Ca and Mg)
and active organic matter fractions, viz., WS-OC, WS-CHO, SMBC, SMBN and SMBP using
standard methods. Relationship of different organic matter fractions with maize yield and
available nutrients was worked out through simple correlation analysis. Combined use of FYM
and/or lime along with chemical fertilizers improved the active organic matter fractions, soil
properties significantly over 100 per cent NPK alone and control. Integrated application of
fertilizers with FYM and lime increased yield attributes, grain and stover yield of maize, nutrient
uptake and quality parameters of maize grains significantly over the sole application of
fertilizers. The highest grain (59.4 q ha-1
) and stover (90.8 q ha-1
) yield of maize was recorded in
the treatment comprising 100% NPK + 10 t FYM ha-1 + lime incorporation @ 100% LR (T8)
which was at par with 100% NPK + 10 t FYM ha-1 + lime incorporation @ 1/10th LR in furrow
(T10) (54.2 and 85.3 q ha-1
, respectively) demonstrating that the dose of lime can be reduced to
1/10th by furrow application without any significant reduction in yield. Soil organic matter
fractions were significantly and positively correlated with yield and available nutrients.