Recycling of Organic Wastes Amended with Trichoderma and Gluconacetobacter for Sustenance in Soil Health and Sugarcane Ratoon Yield in Udic Ustochrept

A field experiment was conducted with the objectives to relate the changes in the physical properties, soil organic carbon (SOC), nutrient availability, and uptake and output input ratios for sustaining sugarcane ratoon growth and yield in an Udic ustochrept. Eight combinations of trash and farmyard manure (FYM) with and without Trichoderma viride and Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus were applied in two sugarcane ratoon (first and second ratoon in succession) crops. Application of Trichoderma-enriched trash showed the lowest bulk density (1.36 Mg m^?3) and the greatest infiltration rate (4.5 mm h^?1). Greater rate of increase in SOC was observed under inoculation of Trichoderma with FYM compared to trash mulch. The output/input ratios were greater in plots having trash-based treatments compared to FYM and inorganic fertilizers. Bioagent-inoculated FYM produced greater mean sugar yield (8.89 t ha^?1) compared to bioagent-inoculated trash (7.97 t ha^?1).     

Deep Tillage,Soil Moisture Regime,and Optimizing N Nutrition for Sustaining Soil Health and Sugarcane Yield in Subtropical India

A field experiment was conducted at ICAR-Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow, with three tillage practices (T₁: Control- two times ploughing with harrow and cultivator, each followed by planking before sugarcane planting; T₂: Deep tillage with disc plough (depth 25–30 cm) before planting followed by harrowing, cultivator, and planking; and T₃: Subsoiling at 45–50 cm and deep tillage with disc plough/moldboard plough (depth 25–30 cm) followed by harrowing, cultivator, and planking before planting, two soil moisture regimes (M₁: 0.5 irrigation water (IW)/cumulative pan evaporation (?CPE) ratio and M₂: 0.75 IW/CPE ratio) at 7.5 cm depth of IW, and four N levels (N₁- 0, N₂- 75, N₃- 150, and N₄-225 kg N ha^?1) in sugarcane plant crop. Deep tillage and subsoiling increased porosity and reduced bulk density in surface/subsurface soil. Further, these physical changes also improved soil biological and chemical properties responsible for higher crop growth and yield. Deep tillage and subsoiling reduced the compaction by 6.12% in 0–15 cm depth in sugarcane plant crop at maximum tillering stage. The highest N uptake (158.5 kg ha^?1) was analyzed with deep tillage and subsoiling compared to all other tillage practices. Maintaining suboptimal moisture regime with deep tillage and subsoiling showed the highest IW use efficiency (157.16 kg cane kg^?1 N applied). Mean soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) in ratoon crop was higher compared to plant crop. During initial tillering stage, ratoon crop showed higher SMBC with application of deep tillage and subsoiling (1209 mg CO₂-C g^?1 soil day^?1) at 0–15 cm depth and 1082.9 mg CO₂-C g^?1 soil day^?1 at 15–30 cm depth. Thus, it could be concluded that besides improving sugarcane yield, soil health could be sustained by adopting subsoiling (45–50 cm depth) and deep tillage (20–25 cm depth), with soil moisture regime of 0.75 IW/CPE and application of 150 kg N ha^?1 in sugarcane (plant crop).     

Effects of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizer on Growth,Yield, and Juice Quality and Residual Effects on Ratoon Crops of Sugarcane

ABSTRACT

Field experiments were carried out for three consecutive years (2003–2006) at Bangladesh Sugarcane Research Institute farm soil on plant (first crop after planting) and subsequent two ratoon crops of sugarcane. The main objectives of the study were to assess the direct and residual effects of organic and inorganic fertilizer on growth, yield, and juice quality of plant and ratoon crops. The plant crop consisted of four treatments. After harvesting of plant crop to evaluate the residual effects on ratoon crop the plots were subdivided except the control plot. Thus, there were seven treatments in the ratoon crop. Application of recommended fertilizer [nitrogen (N₁₅₀), phosphorus (P₅₂), potassium (K₉₀), sulfur (S₃₅), and zinc (Zn₃) kg ha^{? 1}] singly or 25% less of it either with press mud or farmyard manure (FYM) at 15 t ha^{? 1} produced statistically identical yield ranged from 67.5 to 69.0 t ha^{? 1} in plant crop. In the ratoon experiment when the recommended fertilizer was applied alone or 25% less of its either with press mud or FYM at 15 or even 7.5 t ha^{? 1} again produced better yield; it ranged from 64.8 to 69.2 in first ratoon and 68.2 to 76.5 t ha^{? 1} in second ratoon crops. Results showed that N, P, K, and S content in leaf progressively decreased in ratoon crops over plant crop. Juice quality parameters viz. brix, pol, and purity % remained unchanged both in plant and ratoon crops. Furthermore, organic carbon (C), available N, P, K, and S were higher in post harvest soils that received inorganic fertilizer in combination with organic manure than control and inorganic fertilizer treated soil. It may be concluded that the application of 25% less of recommended fertilizer (N₁₁₂, P₄₀, K₆₈, S₂₆, and Zn_2.2.5 kg ha^{? 1}) either with press mud or FYM at 15 t ha^{? 1} was adequate for optimum yield of plant crop. Results also suggest that additional N (50% extra dosage) keeping all other fertilizers at the same level like plant crop i.e. N₁₆₈, P₄₀, K₆₈, S₂₆, and Zn_2.25 kg ha^{? 1} either with press mud or FYM at 7.5 t ha^{? 1} may be recommended for subsequent ratoon crops to obtain good yield without deterioration in soil fertility.     

Soil Fertility Index,Soil Evaluation Factor,and Microbial Indices under Different Land Uses in Acidic Soil of Humid Subtropical India

A study was conducted to examine the impact of land use on soil fertility in an Entisol in the Jalpaiguri District of humid subtropical India. The natural forest served as a control against which changes in soil properties were compared. Soil samples were collected from four different depths (0–25, 25–50, 50–75, and 75–100 cm) of soil from four land uses (viz. forest, home garden, arecanut plantation, and agriculture) and examined for pH, organic carbon (OC), electrical conductivity (EC), cation exchange capacity, available nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), exchangeable calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), aluminum (Al), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) and dehydrogenase activity (DHA). Soil pH (5.7), OC (2.29%), N (386 kg ha^?1), and P (22.54 kg ha^?1) were greatest in forest soil, followed by soil from arecanut plantation, agriculture, and home garden. The greatest Ca (0.892 cmol kg^?1), Mg (0.527 cmol kg^?1), and Al (1.86 cmol kg^?1) were found in the arecanut plantation, whereas K (0.211 cmol kg^?1) was greatest in forest. The greatest content of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid–extractable copper, zinc, manganese, and iron (2.25, 1.66, 4.86, and 7.65 ppm, respectively) were found in forest. MBC (558 mg kg^?1), MBN (26.67 mg kg^?1), and DHA (33.03 μg TPF 24 h^?1 g^?1) was greatest in forest soil. Soil fertility index varied from 13.13 in arecanut plantation to 18.49 in forest. The soil evaluation factor ranged from 5.32 in agriculture to 6.56 in forest. Pearson's correlation matrix revealed strongly significant positive correlation of soil fertility index and soil evaluation factor with soil properties.     

Soil organic carbon stock for reclaimed minesoils in northeastern Ohio

Reclamation of disturbed soils is done with the primary objective of restoring the land for agronomic or forestry land use. Reclamation followed by sustainable management can restore the depleted soil organic carbon (SOC) stock over time. This study was designed to assess SOC stocks of reclaimed and undisturbed minesoils under different cropping systems in Dover Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio (40°32·33′ N and 81°33·86′ W). Prior to reclamation, the soil was classified as Bethesda Soil Series (loamy‐skeletal, mixed, acid, mesic Typic Udorthent). The reclaimed and unmined sites were located side by side and were under forage (fescue—Festuca arundinacea Schreb. and alfa grass—Stipa tenacissima L.), and corn (Zea mays L.)—soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) rotation. All fields were chisel plowed annually except unmined forage, and fertilized only when planted to corn. The manure was mostly applied on unmined fields planted to corn, and reclaimed fields planted to forage and corn. The variability in soil properties (i.e., soil bulk density, pH and soil organic carbon stock) ranged from moderate to low across all land uses in both reclaimed and unmined fields for 0–10 and 10–20 cm depths. The soil nitrogen stock ranged from low to moderate for unmined fields and moderate to high in some reclaimed fields. Soil pH was always less than 6·7 in both reclaimed and unmined fields. The mean soil bulk density was consistently lower in unmined (1·27 mg m⁻³ and 1·22 mg m⁻³) than reclaimed fields (1·39 mg m⁻³ and 1·34 mg m⁻³) planted to forage and corn, respectively. The SOC and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations were higher for reclaimed forage (33·30 g kg⁻¹; 3·23 g kg⁻¹) and cornfields (21·22 g kg⁻¹; 3·66 g kg⁻¹) than unmined forage (17·47 g kg⁻¹; 1·98 g kg⁻¹) and cornfield (17·70 g kg⁻¹; 2·76 g kg⁻¹). The SOC stocks in unmined soils did not differ among forage, corn or soybean fields but did so in reclaimed soils for 0–10 cm depth. The SOC stock for reclaimed forage (39·6 mg ha⁻¹ for 0–10 cm and 28·6 mg ha⁻¹ for 10–20 cm depths) and cornfields (28·3 mg ha⁻¹; 32·2 mg ha⁻¹) were higher than that for the unmined forage (22·7 mg ha⁻¹; 17·6 mg ha⁻¹) and corn (21·5 mg ha⁻¹; 26·8 mg ha⁻¹) fields for both depths. These results showed that the manure application increased SOC stocks in soil. Overall this study showed that if the reclamation is done properly, there is a large potential for SOC sequestration in reclaimed soils. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Response of Sugarcane to Calcium Silicate on Yield,Gas Exchange Characteristics,Leaf Nutrient Concentrations,and Soil Properties in Two Different Soils

Silicon (Si), applied as calcium silicate (Ca-silicate), was evaluated for effects on yield; yield-contributing parameters in sugarcane, such as chlorophyll content, gas exchange characteristics, moisture content, and leaf nutrient concentrations; and soil fertility in the greenhouse in two different soil types. Seven levels of Si (0 20, 40, 60, 80, 120, and 150 g pot^–1) were tested by applying them with traditional fertilizers. Gas exchange characteristics such as photosynthesis, transpiration, and stomatal conductance were significantly greater with the plants fertilized with silicate over unamended control for both soils. Silicate fertilization increased chlorophyll and moisture contents in the top visible dewlap (TVD) leaf tissues, but results were not significantly better in both soils when compared with unamended control. In our 12-month study, we found that the Si content reached up to 2.64% and 1.86% per dry mass in TVD leaf tissues when amended with Ca-silicate fertilizer in soils 1 and 2, respectively. Results showed that as compared to unamended control, Si-amended treatments significantly increased maximum dry matter and cane yield by 77% and 66% in soil 1 and 41% and 15% in soil 2, respectively. With increasing silicate application, iron, copper, zinc, and manganese contents significantly decreased in leaf tissues and soil contents in both soils. Soil pH, Si contents, available sulfur, exchangeable Ca and magnesium, and cation exchange capacity were increased significantly more or less, whereas aluminum contents of soil decreased dramatically in both soils when amended with Ca-silicate. Our results indicate that different soil fertility status and rates of Si application are important factors influencing the yield, growth parameters, chlorophyll, and nutrient contents of sugarcane leaf as well as soil properties.     

淮北平原砂姜黑土玉米产量与土壤性质的区域分析

以淮北平原作为调查区域,对砂姜黑土区48个样点的玉米产量及0～20 cm耕层土壤性质进行了分析.结果表明:在涡阳县东、西部,蒙城县南部和怀远县北部,玉米产量多在8.7 t/hm2以上,土壤容重较小;而在蒙城县北部,玉米产量多在7t/hm2以下,土壤容重最大,平均达到1.6 g/cm3以上.涡阳县土壤有机碳含量最高,平均...     

Permanent–soil monitoring sites for documentation of soil‐fertility development after changing from conventional to organic farming

For monitoring soil fertility after changing farm management from highly conventional to organic farming on the newly established research farm of Kassel University, two permanent–soil monitoring sites were installed in 1999. Representative locations for installing the permanent–soil monitoring sites were selected using geographical information systems (GIS), based on available data from geology, topography, soil taxation, land use, and intensive auger‐borehole records and analysis with a very high spatial resolution of data. The soils are represented by a Luvisol derived from loess and a Vertisol developed from claystone. The soil properties of the two monitoring sites measured immediately after changing to organic farming showed high contents of extractable nutrients as a result of the former intensive fertilization practice during conventional farm management. The microbial soil properties of the two monitoring sites were in the medium range of regional soils. A first evaluation of the development of soil properties was done after 5 y of monitoring. The soil organic‐matter content increased slightly after grass‐clover and after application of farmyard manure. The amounts of K and P decreased clearly at the loess site without application of farmyard manure. At the clay site, the unique application of farmyard manure led to increasing contents of extractable K and P in the top soil. The variation of soil properties increased clearly after perennial crops like grass‐clover and in years after application of farmyard manure.     

Application of Biochar and Compost for Enhancement of Rice (Oryza Sativa L.) Grain Yield in Calcareous Sandy Soil

The application of compost to calcareous soils by farmers is a well-established practice and has been shown to improve yields. However, incorporation of biochar and mixture of biochar and compost into calcareous soils is a relatively novel concept for improving soil quality and yield since calcareous soils comprise a large scale of soils worldwide. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of the co-application of biochar and compost on the soil properties, nutrient status and grain yield of rice in calcareous sandy soil. The experiment was conducted in a factorial arrangement based on randomized complete block design with three replications. The compost application rates were 1% and 3% (w/w; compost/soil) and the applied rates of biochars (rice straw biochar, RSB; sugarcane bagasse biochar, SBB) were 0.3% and 0.9% (w/w; biochar/soil). The results showed that soil pH decreased with increasing application rates of either compost or biochars. However, soil EC was enhanced through increasing the application rates of compost and biochars. The co-application of biochar and compost improved soil total N and available P concentrations. The soil available K increased with increasing the rate of incorporated biochars and compost. An increase of soil available K was more predominate with the application of RSB than SBB. The RSB, also, added a considerable amount of silicon (Si) to the soil. The co-incorporation of biochars and compost enhanced soil available concentrations of Fe, Zn, Cu, and Mn as well. The RSB was more effective than the SBB in grain yield enhancement almost certainly due to a higher Si content in RSB. Furthermore, the concurrent application of biochars and compost increased grain yield more than applying them individually. A higher application rate of biochar and compost induced a higher grain yield. The co-application of highest rates of RSB (0.9%) and compost (3%) induced the highest grain yield (26.1 g/pot) among the treatments. The increase in yield compare to the control were 321% and 260% for 0.9% RSB + 3% compost and 0.9% SBB + 3% compost, respectively. The increase in the grain yield was due to an improvement in the soil chemical properties and nutrients enhancement. Finally, the co-application of the highest rate of RSB (0.9%) and compost (3%) is recommended to obtain the appropriate rate of rice grain yield in calcareous sandy soil.     

Ecological intensification of cropping systems enhances soil functions,mitigates soil erosion,and promotes crop resilience to dry spells in the Brazilian Cerrado

Water scarcity threatens global food security and agricultural systems are challenged to achieve high yields while optimizing water usage. Water deficit can be accentuated by soil physical degradation, which also triggers water losses through runoff and consequently soil erosion. Although soil health in cropping systems within the Brazilian Cerrado biome have been surveyed throughout the years, information about soil erosion impacts and its mitigation are still not well understood; especially concerning the role of cropping system diversification and its effects on crop yield. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess whether ecological intensification of cropping systems –inclusion of a consorted perennial grass and crop rotation– could promote soil coverage and consequently decrease water erosion and soil, water, and nutrient losses. This work studied the effects of crop rotation and consorted Brachiaria, along with different levels of investment in fertilization on soil physical quality and on soil, water, and nutrient losses, and crop yields. Results proved that soybean monoculture (SS) is a system of low sustainability even under no-till in the Brazilian Cerrado conditions. It exhibited high susceptibility to soil, water, and nutrient losses, causing low crop yields. Our results showed that water losses in SS cropping system were approximately 10% of the total annual rainfall, and total K losses would require an additional 35% of K application. Conversely, ecological intensification of cropping systems resulted in enhanced soil environmental and agronomic functions, increased grain yield, and promoted soil and water conservation: high soil cover rate, and low soil, water and nutrient losses. Ecological intensification proved to be an adequate practice to boost crop resilience to water deficit in the Brazilian Cerrado.