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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com / submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
We aimed to evaluate the effect of long-term application of chemical fertilizers and organic manures on soil potassium (K) dynamics, K uptake and yield of hybrid maize under finger millet-hybrid maize cropping sequence. Soil samples with ten (10) different management practices viz., T1 - 50 % NPK, T2 - 100% NPK, T3 - 150% NPK, T4 - 100% NPK + hand weeding, T5 - 100% NPK + ZnSO4 @ of 25 kg ZnSO4 ha-1, T6 - 100% NP, T7 - 100% N alone, T8 - 100% NPK + FYM @ 10 t ha-1, T9 - 100% NPK (-S) and T10 - absolute control collected from an ongoing AICRP-LTFE were employed for the present study. Results showed a significant higher value of available K in soil under 100% NPK+FYM treatment irrespective of critical growth stages of hybrid maize. Among the K fractions, water soluble K was the least in magnitude and lattice K was found to be dominant one. Application of 100% NPK with FYM recorded highest amount of total K as well as all other K fractions emphasizing the importance of organic manure in transformations of different K fractions in soil. Grain and straw yield of hybrid maize were significantly higher under 100% NPK + FYM treatment which is well evidenced by a yield increase of 12.6 % over 100% NPK alone. The results on change in soil available K over a period from 1972-2014under continuous cropping depicts a negative balance of K in soil irrespective of fertilizer treatments imposed, lowest (- 205 kg ha-1) being recorded in 100% NPK + FYM plots (T8). Therefore, the present investigation stresses the vital importance of inclusion of organic manure in the fertilizer schedule for maintaining soil K dynamics and enhancing yield of hybrid maize so as to sustain soil productivity over long run.