Evaluation of long-term soil management practices using key indicators and soil quality indices in a semi-arid tropical Alfisol
K. L. Sharma A B , J. Kusuma Grace A , Uttam Kumar Mandal A , Pravin N. Gajbhiye A , K. Srinivas A , G. R. Korwar A , V. Hima Bindu A , V. Ramesh A , Kausalya Ramachandran A and S. K. Yadav AA Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, PO Saidabad, Santoshnagar, Hyderabad, AP – 500 059, India.
B Corresponding author. Email: klsharma@crida.ernet.in
Australian Journal of Soil Research 46(4) 368-377 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR07184
Submitted: 13 November 2007 Accepted: 5 May 2008 Published: 23 June 2008
Abstract
Alfisol soils of rainfed semi-arid tropics (SAT) are degrading due to several physical, chemical, and biological constraints. Appropriate soil-nutrient management practices may help to check further soil degradation. A long-term experiment comprising tillage and conjunctive nutrient use treatments under a sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench)–mung bean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilkzec) system was conducted during 1998–05 on SAT Alfisols (Typic Haplustalf) at the Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad. The study evaluated soil and nutrient management treatments for their long-term influence on soil quality using key indicators and soil quality indices (SQI). Of the 21 soil quality parameters considered for study, easily oxidisable N (KMnO4 oxidisable-N), DTPA extractable Zn and Cu, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), mean weight diameter (MWD) of soil aggregates, and hydraulic conductivity (HC) played a major role in influencing the soil quality and were designated as the key indicators of ‘soil quality’ for this system. The SQI obtained by the integration of key indicators varied from 0.66 (unamended control) to 0.83 (4 Mg compost + 20 kg N as urea) under conventional tillage (CT), and from 0.66 (control) to 0.89 (4 Mg compost + 2 Mg gliricidia loppings) under reduced tillage (RT). Tillage did not influence the SQI, whereas the conjunctive nutrient-use treatments had a significant effect. On an average, under both CT and RT, the sole organic treatment improved the soil quality by 31.8% over the control. The conjunctive nutrient-use treatments improved soil quality by 24.2–27.2%, and the sole inorganic treatment by 18.2% over the control. Statistically, the treatments improved soil quality in the following order: 4 Mg compost + 2 Mg gliricidia loppings > 2 Mg Gliricidia loppings + 20 kg N as urea = 4 Mg compost + 20 kg N as urea > 40 kg N as urea. The percentage contribution of the key indicators towards the SQI was: MBC (28.5%), available N (28.6%), DTPA-Zn (25.3%), DTPA-Cu (8.6%), HC (6.1%), and MWD (2.9%). The functions predicting the changes in yield and sustainability yield index with a given change in SQI were also determined.
Additional keywords: semi-arid tropics, soil quality indicators, sorghum-mung bean, sustainability yield index.
Acknowledgments
The authors are thankful to former Director of CRIDA, Dr HP Singh, who inspired and facilitated about this theme of research and present Director, Dr YS Ramakrishna, for providing the necessary support in conducting this research. The authors are also thankful to Officer-in-charge, Hayathnagar Research Farm, and Mr. Chandra Mohan Reddy, Farm Superintendent, for providing necessary facilities in the farm for conducting the field experiment and Mr Arokia Swamy, Technical Officer, for providing technical help during the study period.
Andrews SS, Carroll CR
(2001) Designing a soil quality assessment tool for sustainable agro-ecosystem management. Ecological Applications 11, 1573–1585.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Andrews SS,
Karlen DL, Mitchell JP
(2002b) A comparison of soil quality indexing methods for vegetable production systems in Northern California. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 90, 25–45.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Andrews SS,
Mitchell JP,
Mancinelli R,
Larlen DL,
Hartz TK,
Horwarth WR,
Pettygrove GS,
Scow KM, Munk DS
(2002a) On farm assessment of soil quality in California’s Central Valley. Agronomy Journal 94, 12–23.
Arshad MA, Coen GM
(1992) Characterization of soil quality: physical and chemical criteria. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 7, 25–31.
Brejda JJ,
Moorman TB,
Karlen DL, Dao TH
(2000) Identification of regional soil quality factors and indicators. I. Central and Southern High-Plains. Soil Science Society of America Journal 64, 2115–2124.
Campbell CA,
McConkey BG,
Biederbeck VO,
Zentner RP,
Curtin D, Peru MR
(1998) Long-term effects of tillage and fallow-frequency on soil quality attributes in a clay soil in semiarid southwestern Saskatchewan. Soil & Tillage Research 46, 135–144.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Chaudhury J,
Mandal UK,
Sharma KL,
Ghosh H, Mandal B
(2005) Assessing soil quality under long-term rice based cropping system. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 36, 1141–1161.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Dalal RC, Meyer RJ
(1987) Long-term trends in fertility of soils under continuous cultivation and cereal cropping in Southern Queensland. VII. Dynamics of nitrogen mineralization potentials and microbial biomass. Australian Journal of Soil Research 25, 461–472.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Doran JW,
Sarrantonio M, Liebig MA
(1996) Soil health and sustainability. Advances in Agronomy 56, 1–54.
Eck HV, Stewart BA
(1998) Effects of long-term cropping on chemical aspects of soil quality. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture 12, 5–20.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Ericksen PJ, McSweeney K
(2000) Fine scale analysis of soil quality for various land uses and landforms in central Honduras. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 14, 146–157.
Granatstein D, Bezdicek DF
(1992) The need for a soil quality index: local and regional perspectives. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 7, 12–16.
Hanway JJ, Heidel H
(1952) Soil analyses methods as used in Iowa State College Soil Testing Laboratory. Iowa Agriculture 57, 1–31.
Hussain I,
Olson KR,
Wander MM, Karlen DL
(1999) Adaptation of soil quality indices and application to three tillage systems in southern Illinois. Soil & Tillage Research 50, 237–249.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Jaenicke EC, Lengnick LL
(1999) A soil-quality index and its relationship to efficiency and productivity growth measures: two decompositions. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 81, 881–893.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Jenkinson DS, Powlson DS
(1976) The effects of biocidal treatments on metabolism in soil. V. A method for measuring soil biomass. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 8, 209–213.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Karlen DL,
Eash NS, Unger PW
(1992) Soil and crop management effects on soil quality indicators. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 7, 48–55.
Lenhard G
(1956) Die dehydrogenase-activitat des Bodens als Mass fur die mikroorganis-mentatigkeit im Boden. Zeitschrift fur Pflanzenernaehr. Dueng und Bodenkunde 73, 1–11.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lindsay WL, Norvell WA
(1978) Development of a DTPA soil test for zinc, iron, manganese and copper. Soil Science Society of America Journal 42, 421–428.
Mairura FS,
Mugendi DN,
Mwanje JI,
Ramisch JJ,
Mbugua PK, Chianu JN
(2007) Integrating scientific and farmer’s evaluation of soil quality indicators in central Kenya. Geoderma 139, 134–143.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Malhi SS,
Harapiak JT,
Nyborg M, Gill KS
(2000) Effects of long-term applications of various nitrogen sources on chemical soil properties and composition of bromegrass hay. Journal of Plant Nutrition 23, 903–912.
Masri Z, Ryan J
(2006) Soil organic matter and related physical properties in a Mediterranean wheat-based rotation trial. Soil & Tillage Research 87, 146–154.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Masto RE,
Chhonkar PK,
Dhyan Singh
, Patra AK
(2007) Soil quality response to long-term nutrient and crop management on a semi-arid Inceptisol. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 118, 130–142.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Miller RO,
Vaughan B, Kutoby-Amacher J
(2000) Extraction of soil boron with DTPA-sorbitol. Soil and Plant Analysis
, 4–10.
Mohammad SK, Mohammad S
(1999) Long-term effects of fertilizers and integrated nutrient supply systems in intensive cropping on soil fertility, nutrient uptake and yield of rice. Journal of Agricultural Science 133, 365–370.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Mohanty M,
Painuli DK,
Misra AK, Ghosh PK
(2007) Soil quality effects of tillage and residue under rice–wheat cropping on a Vertisol in India. Soil & Tillage Research 92, 243–250.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Myrold DD
(1987) Relationship between microbial biomass nitrogen and nitrogen availability index. Soil Science Society of America Journal 51, 1047–1049.
Noble AD, Hurney AP
(2000) Long-term effects of lime additions on sugarcane yield and soil chemical properties in north Queensland. Experimental Agriculture 36, 397–413.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Nortcliff S
(2002) Standardization of soil quality attributes. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 88, 161–168.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Palm CA,
Swift MJ, Woomer PL
(1996) Soil biological dynamics in slash-and-burn agriculture. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 58, 61–74.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Parr JF,
Papendick RI,
Hornick SB, Meyer RE
(1992) Soil quality: attributes and relationship to alternative and sustainable agriculture. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 7, 5–11.
Sharma KL,
Mandal UK,
Srinivas K,
Vittal KPR,
Mandal B,
Grace JK, Ramesh V
(2005) Long-term soil management effects on crop yields and soil quality in a dryland Alfisol. Soil & Tillage Research 83, 246–259.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Shukla MK,
Lal R, Ebinger M
(2006) Determining soil quality indicators by factor analysis. Soil & Tillage Research 87, 194–204.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Singh AK
(2007) Evaluation of soil quality under integrated nutrient management. Journal of the Indian Society of Soil Science 55, 58–61.
Smith JL, Elliott LF
(1990) Tillage and residue management effects on soil organic matter dynamics in semi arid regions. Advances in Soil Science 13, 69–85.
Subbaiah BV, Asija GC
(1956) A rapid procedure for determination of available nitrogen in soils. Current Science 25, 259–260.
Subbarao GV,
Renard C,
Payne WA, Bationo A
(2000) Long-term effect of tillage, phosphorus fertilization and crop rotation on pearl millet–cowpea productivity in the West-African Sahel. Experimental Agriculture 36, 243–264.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Suresh S,
Subramanian S, Chitdeshwari T
(1999) Effect of long term application of fertilizers and manures on yield of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) – Cumbu (Pennisetum glacum) in rotation on Vertisol under dry farming and soil properties. Journal of the Indian Society of Soil Science 47, 272–276.
Tisdall JM, Oades JM
(1982) Organic matter and water-stable aggregates in soils. Journal of Soil Science 33, 141–163.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Unger PW,
Jones OR,
McClenagan JD, Stewart BA
(1998) Aggregation of soil cropped to dryland wheat and grain sorghum. Soil Science Society of America Journal 62, 1659–1666.
van Bevel CHM
(1949) Mean weight diameter of soil aggregates as a statistical index of aggregation. Soil Science Society of America Proceedings 14, 20–23.
Wander MM, Bollero GA
(1999) Soil quality assessment of tillage impacts on Illinois. Soil Science Society of America Journal 63, 961–971.
Wang X, Gong Z
(1998) Assessment and analysis of soil quality changes after eleven years of reclamation in subtropical China. Geoderma 81, 339–355.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Weil RR,
Islam KR,
Stine MA,
Gruver JB, Sampson-Liebeg SE
(2003) Estimating active carbon for soil quality assessment: a simplified method for laboratory and field use. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 18, 3–17.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Wienhold BJ,
Andrews SS, Karlen DL
(2004) Soil quality: a review of the science and experiences in the USA. Environmental Geochemistry and Health 26, 89–95.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |
Williams CH, Steinbergs A
(1959) Soil sulphur fractions as chemical indices of available sulphur in some Australian soils. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 10, 340–352.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Yoder RE
(1936) A direct method of aggregate analysis and study of the physical nature of erosion losses. Journal – American Society of Agronomy 28, 337–351.
