National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS)
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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 |
Conserving natural capital and optimizing factor productivity in semi-arid regions has been a great challenge in achieving sustainability of the production system. Cotton-wheat and guar-wheat based cropping system plays a predominant role under evolving climatic scenarios by sustainable conservation of natural resources. In the present study, the effect of long-term zero-tillage practices on selected physico-chemical and microbiological properties was determined in different cropping system at 0-15 and 15-30 cm soil depth in Mahendergarh (Tigra) district of Haryana (latitude- 28.030N and longitude- 76.100E) during the year 2006. The composition of soil samples from traditional and zero-tillage farms had been sandy. After harvesting of wheat in 2017, triplicate soil samples from undisturbed and disturbed soil were obtained for determination of pH, electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic carbon (SOC), total N, P and K content, microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen (MBC and MBN), enzymatic activities and viable count of microbes and results showed that EC and pH were not significantly affected by tillage systems. Results indicated that SOC (0.31 %) under ZT was relatively higher at the surface layer compared to CT (0.28 %) under guar-wheat cropping system. The long-term zero-tillage practices resulted that relatively higher soil total nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium contents, MBC and MBN dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, cellulase and urease activities and bacterial and fungal count at the 0-15 cm depth than conventional tillage under guar-wheat cropping pattern. The zero-tillage practices thus enhanced soil's physico-chemical as well as microbiological properties, which can contribute to increased crop yield and soil health. Hence, Haryana's growing system of cotton-wheat and guar-wheat under irrigated conditions in this area due to its potential for increased production, competitiveness and resource conservation.
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