Vol. 12, Issue 6 (2023)

Author(s):
Oguboyana Srikanth Yadav, SM Bhoyar, SD Jadhao and PW Deshmukh

Abstract:
Integrated nutrient management (INM) is widely recognized as a valuable approach to ensure sustainable crop productivity while preserving soil fertility. The incorporation of organic manures into the soil has been shown to enhance soil characteristics and improve nutrient availability. In the 2020-21 agricultural year, soil samples were collected from the long-term fertilizer experiments conducted at the Regional Agricultural Research Station in Jagtial and the research farm of TNAU in Coimbatore. The samples represented six common treatment combinations involving chemical fertilizers and farmyard manure (FYM). The experimental design followed a randomized block design (RBD). The study aimed to investigate the impact of INM on the mean weight diameter (MWD) of soils under the rice-rice and finger millet-maize cropping systems. The long-term application of manure and fertilizer under the two different cropping systems in Jagtial and Coimbatore had a significant influence on the mean weight diameter of the soils. The MWD values ranged from 1.16 to 1.71 mm in Jagtial and from 0.56 to 1.07 mm in Coimbatore. Similarly, in the subsurface layer, the MWD varied from 0.73 to 1.31 mm in Jagtial and from 0.51 to 0.87 mm in Coimbatore. The experimental findings indicated that, in both cropping systems, the application of the 100% NPK+FYM treatment yielded the highest MWD values, indicating improved soil aggregate stability.