| Abstract: | ABSTRACTContinuous incorporation of green manure (GM) and rice straw residue (RSR) over a long period of time generally improved soil physico-chemical properties. To generate this information, laboratory studies were conducted during 2014 on the soil samples collected from an on-going long-term experiment on rice–wheat sequence in progress since 2001. The results of the study reported improvement in bulk density, water holding capacity, and total porosity with green manuring. The maximum organic carbon build up was recorded in manure @ 15 t ha?1 which was applied through GM. The application of fertilizers, GM and RSR incorporation improved the buildup of the available and total N, P, and K contents of surface soil. The data further indicated that the DTPA-extractable and total Zn, Cu, Fe, and Mn in soil increased significantly in all the fertilizer and manurial treatments over recommended practice. The integrated use of GM and RSR in combination with chemical fertilizers improved the soil fertility status, as well as its physical environment. To sustain the soil health of rice–wheat system in loamy sand soil, it is imperative to apply GM and RSR in combination with chemical fertilizers. Also the increase in DTPA-extractable and total Zn, Cu, Fe, and Mn may be attributed to chelating action of organic compounds released from manures applied in the form of GM and RSR under rice–wheat system. |
