Vol. 11, Issue 12 (2022)

Author(s):
Ragini Patil, Dhananjaya BC, Gurumurthy KT, Veeranna HK, Parashuram Chandravamshi and Kumar Naik AH

Abstract:
An experiment with different nutrient management approaches was carried out during 3 consecutive years of 2019–20, 2020–21, and 2021–22 at Zonal Agricultural and Horticultural Research Station, Babbur farm, Hiriyur, situated in Central Dry Zone (Agro-Climatic Region IV) of Karnataka to evaluate the “Trend setting effect of different nutrient management approaches on soil physic-chemical properties under maze based cropping system in a Vertisol”. The experiment consist of 4 treatments, viz., T₁ – Natural farming - Seed treatment with Beejamrutha + Ghana jeevamrutha @ 1000 kg ha^-1 before sowing + Jeevamrutha @ 200 L ha^-1 @ 15 days interval + mulching at 30 DAS; T₂ – Organic farming - Seed treatment with Rhizobium + PSB + N equivalent basis of vermicompost; T₃ – Package of Practice – Recommended dose of N, P₂O_5, K₂O and FYM; T₄ – Farmers practice - FYM @ 7 t ha^-1 and 45: 115 kg ha^-1 N, P₂O₅, respectively in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with 5 replications. The results revealed that application of organic manures such as vermicompost and FYM and concoctions like Jeevamrutha and Ghana jeevamrutha improved soil physical properties and soil organic carbon. Different nutrient management approaches did not have significant effect on soil pH, EC and free calcium carbonate content. The available N, P₂O₅, K₂O and S contents of soil increased slightly after harvest of the crop due to the incorporation of organic manures and bio fertilizers with chemical fertilizers, whereas DTPA-extractable micronutrients did not vary significantly among different nutrient management approaches.As a result, it is better to use the combination of organic and inorganic fertilizers in order to sustain soil fertility and environmental quality.